Asymptotic Perfection
by Mileharo Kerran
Summary: She was in the perfect agony of pain; he was perfectly clueless. She wanted to rid herself of her emotions, while he tried to gain back his. Could they ever find the perfect middleground? SaiSak
1. Chapter 1

**Asymptotic Perfection**

_**by Mileharo Kerran**_

_I've always been a fan of the Naruto-verse; in fact, it's pretty much all I read nowadays here at FFN. That's why I find it a bit daunting to write something in this fandom; I'm terribly nervous about doing it justice. Anyhow, I hope I've kept the characters... well, in character, and I'd love to hear what you think of it. Tell me which parts I should improve, too. Thank you for reading, hope you'll enjoy it. :)_

_BTW, I don't own Naruto. __**  
**_

**Prologue: The End of the Dream**

The sunlight filtered tepidly through the forest canopy and danced over the ground below as the afternoon winds blew through the leaves. In the middle of a small clearing, two groups of people stood facing each other. One group looked at the other with shock, and the other looked back warily. The air around them almost crackled with tension, and for more than a few moments, there was nothing but silence. And then…

"Sasuke…"

The name was whispered almost reverently, and the loud nature of the blond ninja was for the moment subdued as he faced his friend, his rival, his _purpose_. On each side of him, his three teammates could only look on, not making a sound save for the single gasp from the lone female in their group.

"He's… alive."

Slowly he walked towards the dark-haired man at the opposite end of the clearing. This figure had an arm draped weakly around a red-haired female, and was supported on the other side by a tall man who was also, even from this distance, noticeably shaky from exhaustion. A few meters from the trio, the blond stopped.

"Itachi…?" he asked.

"He's dead."

The statement echoed through Naruto's mind. Itachi was dead… and now Sasuke was here in front of him, obviously weakened but very much_alive_. He did not know what to feel. He did not know what to think. Was this finally the end of their three-year ordeal?

He laughed weakly. "That's great, Sasuke. Now you can go home, right?"

"Home?" asked Sasuke, and there was a far-away look in his eyes. "You mean Konoha?"

"O- of course, I meant Konoha. You can… come with us now, if you want."

The dark-haired ninja laughed bitterly. "You must be joking. Come back to Konoha? And just what would I do there, eh?"

Sakura spoke up. "Come back to _live_, Sasuke. Come back and start anew. Re-establish the Uchihas... perhaps?" There was longing in her voice, as finally, the hope they had nurtured for so long seemed now a possible reality.

Through all this, the pale-skinned member of Naruto's group only stared and listened at the exchange, his mind filled with wonder at this evidence of the strength of the bonds which bound the old teammates. There was something Sai could not quite understand… Sasuke was their old friend, Naruto and Sakura always told him… but why was Naruto's voice shaking, and why were Sakura's eyes brimming with tears? They all seemed so… sad. But… weren't friends supposed to be happy together?

"Live… but I am dead already, don't you see? My task is done, and now… now I can finally rest and have my peace. I will not find it in Konoha, where everyone will only look at me and see my past… the family that I have lost. I will not be my family's living tombstone."

"Sasuke, you baka!" Naruto exploded. "The very fact that you are still alive means you still have a part in this world, don't you see?" His arms swung around wildly. "Konoha is where you began, and Konoha shall be where you will continue, can't you understand that? Sure, you lost your family, but do you think this is what they would have wanted for you? Surely… surely the point of going through all this is so you can _go on… in the name of your family!_"

Sasuke gave another small smile, which never quite reached his eyes. "Still the optimist, I see, eh, dobe?"

"Damn right, I am! I swore I'd bring you home, teme, and if it's the last thing I'll do, then so be it!" He moved forward and stretched his hand towards his old friend, with the intent of taking him from his companions. The girl with the glasses clutched Sasuke possessively and stepped back, even as the tall man on his other side stepped forward and blocked Naruto's approach.

"Really, Karin… Juugo… there's no need…" Sasuke grabbed Juugo's arm. "Naruto… go home. You've tried your best… but it really isn't up to you now, is it? If you intend to take me by force… I won't be able to stop you. I'm in no condition to fight now."

"Sasuke," Kakashi spoke up for the first time since they first set eyes on their old teammate. "Be reasonable. Where would you go now? What will you do? And you've said it yourself, you're in no condition to fight, and neither are you in any condition to do more travelling unaided –"

"Please, Sasuke," Naruto broke in. "Come _home_. You have to believe me, Konoha's so different now, you almost won't recognize it… Granny Tsunade… she'll understand, and she'll help you. Everybody's waiting for you –"

"Naruto." His voice was resigned, but determined. "I've said my piece. Now please, just leave us. We still have a long way to go, and so do you. You… you wanted to 'save' me, right? Well… I'm telling you, you've come as close to your goal as you'll ever be." He removed his arm from Karin's shoulder and stepped forward. "I thank you for that, Naruto. If anything… you were the only one, really, who believed in me. But our paths have crossed today for the last time, if I can help it. This is the end." He raised his hand weakly and placed it on Naruto's shoulder. "Goodbye… my friend."

He squeezed Naruto's shoulder, but in the next moment, the blond had his arms wrapped around him in a tight hug, his tears now flowing freely. Sakura could do nothing but sink to her knees and weep.

"Sasuke," said Naruto hoarsely, "I won't lose hope in you, man. Never. Even if you say otherwise, I'll always pray to the gods that they make you see sense, teme, enough to bring you home." He pulled himself apart from Sasuke, but held on to his upper arms. "Don't… don't wander too far away, alright?" There was a smile in his lips now, but it was bitter, very bitter, and he could taste the tears as they came.

Sasuke glanced over to where Sakura was, and slowly walked towards her. "Sakura…" The girl had both her fists over her eyes, and Sasuke bent down, cringing in discomfort, and took one of her hands. The kunoichi looked at him through watery eyes, her eyes full of the old love, the old despair. He brushed a lock of pink hair from her face, and wiped at the tears. "Sakura, promise me these are the last tears you'll shed for me." Sakura only sobbed louder. "Don't waste your love on someone who isn't worth it. I'm sure you'll find the person who will never make you feel as… as sad as I have." With a last caress of his thumb in her cheek, he straightened up, and walked away.

"Kakashi-sensei." He nodded his farewell to his old teacher, without slowing down. Upon reaching his group, the two other members once again took up their positions on either side of him, and the three walked out of the clearing. The four people remaining looked on as they slowly became nothing but pinpoints in the distance. And then…

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted as loud as he could, his voice ringing through the old forest and scaring the birds out of their perches. "We'll always wait for you, you hear me! Always!"

_Always…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Asymptotic Perfection**

_**by Mileharo Kerran**_

_New chapter, hahah! Never thought I'd be able to finish this one. I made the third chapter first, so this one took some time to think out. So... read and criticize, thanks very much, and I hope you enjoy it. Sakura and her friends are sixteen coming on seventeen this time. _

_Naruto isn't mine.   
_

**Chapter One: Reorganization **

Sakura laid her palm against the sleeping child's forehead, noting that it was still warmer than normal, but not as bad as it was last night. It was a case of the flu bug that had been going around Konoha for the past week, and thankfully, it was nothing serious, though the hospital itself had been more busy than usual, with all these flu patients in addition to the usual injured shinobi.

For the moment, everything seemed fine. Not perfect, never perfect, but fine.

How could things be perfect when, always, in the back of her mind she could see Sasuke as he said goodbye to her many months ago? How could things be perfect when, everytime Naruto smiled, its edges were bracketed by more than just a hint of resigned despair? How can things be perfect when she spent so many hours working at the hospital, knowing they left Sasuke wandering out there, _injured_, in the arms of that red-haired woman who, apparently, had every right to be at his side supporting him?

No, things were not perfect. But at least the everyday routine of checking on her patients and studying her medical theory made her feel like she was still working as a human being, no matter that her present preoccupations sometimes seemed like nothing but distractions to make her forget.

Her young patient stirred, and slowly opened his eyes.

"Hi, Sakura-chan."

"That's it, Nodoku? No smile for me today?" She chucked his chin playfully, and managed to tease a small grin from him. "That's better." She smiled back at the child.

There was something so fulfilling in working with children, and there was nothing better than to know she helped made the sick children feel there were still things in this world to smile about. She was primarily a medic nin for injured shinobi, but there would always be a special spot in her heart for her younger patients.

"You're pretty when you smile, Sakura-chan," the seven-year-old observed, his eyes absorbed in her shining green eyes and the pink arc her lips made.

She chuckled at this. "What, they put kids in Charm Class so early in the Academy nowadays, eh?"

"Huh? What's that?" the child asked seriously.

"Oh, nothing, nothing… I was just being silly." She propped him up higher against his pillow, seeing that he no longer seemed interested in going back to sleep.

"Sakura-chan… when am I coming home?"

_Coming home…_

"Uh… as soon as you're well, Nodoku. That's why you better drink your medicine… no complaints about the taste, alright?"

He made a disgusted face at the idea of drinking his medicine. "I know… I need to get home soon. I'm sure Miru misses me already. I haven't seen her since the other day, you see."

"Oh. Is Miru your girlfriend?" She drew the last word out teasingly.

"N-o, she's my goldfish." At this, Sakura struggled not to let him see her amused smile, as he seemed so sincere in his speech. "I'm not sure if my sister's feeding her right. She's only six, you know." He gave her a conspiratorial nod, as if sure of the fact that his single year of seniority made him so much wiser than his sister in the ways of the world.

"Your goldfish is six years old?" Sakura asked innocently. "My, that's old."

"No!" A laugh exploded from him. "I meant my sister! You're funny, Sakura-chan."

She smoothed his blanket over him, and picked up her chart to make notations. In the middle of writing something, she heard Nodoku say wistfully, "You're so nice. I'll sure miss you when I go home."

Sakura laughed outright at this, and it was at this moment that another nurse popped her head through the doorway. "Hey, Sakura, what's so funny?"

"Oh, Mr. Charming here was just making the moves on me. What is it, by the way?"

"Shizune was asking for you, said she needed someone to help with the reorganization of the old files in Records. When you're done with your rounds just go there, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks, tell Shizune-san I'll be there in about ten minutes."

True to her word, Sakura made it to the Records Department a few minutes later. The first thing she saw was Shizune, bent over a pile of files, muttering something like "Seriously, it's a wonder that old bloke in charge here could find anything. This place is a bloody fire hazard…"

To her pleasant surprise Ino and Hinata were both there. The two often helped out at the hospital in between missions, and received basic medical training as well. Their skills were nowhere near Sakura's level, though, and were mostly confined to curing minor wounds and bruises, as well as administering first aid for their missions. Hinata smiled at her as she approached, while Ino merely said "Hey, Forehead," without looking up from the folder she was reading.

"Pig. Hello, Hinata," she said back casually, nodding at her friends. "What's happening here, Shizune-san?"

"Sakura. The man in charge here, Satomo-san, retired yesterday, and we're just reorganizing. _Organizing_, more like. This place is a mess. Everything's everywhere, can't see the system in his filing. The replacement's coming tomorrow, but I don't think this can wait."

"Ah. So, how do we do this?" She picked up a folder from the nearest pile and inspected its contents. The pages were stuck haphazardly, and most were dog-eared.

"Let's just alphabetize by surname, and then by date per case for each folder."

"Hey," broke in Ino. "What if we separated the shinobi's files from the civilians'? Seems like it would be easier for case reviews and such, you know, cause shinobi injuries tend to be similar."

"Great idea, Ino. You and Hinata work on the civilians while Sakura here can work on the ninja files. Oh, shit! I almost forgot, I need to get some stuff from the copier's," she looked at her black wristwatch, which seemed a bit at odds with her usual black robes. "Tsunade-sama will have my head if I don't get them before ten o'clock. I'll see you three later, okay?" She walked briskly out of the room, not even waiting for a reply from the younger kunoichi.

"What would Tsunade-sama do without Shizune-san, eh?" chuckled Ino.

"A-ano… should we move the cabinets from beneath the windows?" Hinata held up a few pieces of paper for the other girls to see. They were streaked, and some of the writing were almost completely unreadable. "I think these got wet from the rain. Maybe Satomo-san forgot to close the windows when it rained."

"Tchah," snorted Ino in disgust. "What an idiot. It's a wonder how anyone could have kept track of things the way they are here. Wasn't anyone aware of how things were messed up?"

"Shizune-san said something about how cross Satomo-san got with anyone who even mentioned the word 'reorganize' in front of him. He was the only one, really, who had complete access to all these files." Already Hinata had a few neat piles of folders on top of the table in front of her, arranged by name.

"No wonder. No one else would have put up with it, if he was in charge." Ino was now squatting near a heap of even more folders on the floor.

A name caught Sakura's eye on one of the folders she was looking through.

"Hey, our medical records are also here, I forgot. Look, here's Naruto's."

Almost in a flash, Hinata was over her shoulder, and when Sakura looked at her in surprise, she smiled back sheepishly, and her pale cheeks were a bit pink.

"Interested, are we?" Ino teased, not even bothering to come closer. Hinata only turned redder when the grinning Sakura handed her the thick folder, which, even in the general state of disarray of the entire records section, seemed to be more battered than the others from the constant handling. As Hinata riffled through the pages and carefully put them in order, Ino told Sakura, "Naruto may have amazing recuperative powers, but your silly hothead of a teammate sure gets into scrapes faster than he could heal from them, more often than not. Really, that guy should have a full-time nurse. Riiiight, Hinata?"

But Sakura was deaf to Ino's joking chatter, as right beneath Naruto's folder, another name jumped to her vision.

_Uchiha Sasuke_.

The impact on Sakura, merely by seeing that name, was immediate and complete. For long moments, she could only stare at that name, and with hands that softly trembled she picked up the thin folder. Sasuke was a Konoha ninja for such a short time that there was barely anything in his record. What little there was, Sakura spent a long, quiet time reading, absorbing. Remembering.

"_Don't waste your love on someone who isn't worth it. I'm sure you'll find the person who will never make you feel as sad as I have."_

But it didn't seem to matter what he said. Sakura was, once again, sucked into that black hole of despair where there was nothing but the image of Sasuke leaving for the second time… for the last time. Someone who isn't worthy of her love… How could Sasuke have said that? Until now, after thousands of times she spent pondering that statement, she hasn't come closer to clarity. Was Sasuke, indeed, unworthy of her love? The boy said so himself, but Sakura never knew if he was just being kind, or if he was, as people were wont to do, merely patronizing her.

Was he?

But then… she never thought to equate love with worth, as the heart never had scales with which to balance such against each other, proving completely vulnerable to the rush of emotion which required no justification to exist.

She was hopeless, then.

Without a word to her friends, she placed _Uchiha Sasuke_ on top of _Uzumaki Naruto_, and went on with the task at hand, smiling every once in a while at Ino and Hinata as they talked, but contributing very little to the conversation. For the rest of the morning, the trio went through a routine of piling, shuffling, and alphabetizing, and while they worked they talked, with Ino saying the most and laughing the loudest as they exchanged stories from their younger days and their missions.

Slowly, Sakura forced herself to put away the dark thoughts in her mind._Reorganize_, she thought to herself. _No room for regrets. No room for the past. Reorganize, and think of what you are now, of where you are now. You'll get to the future whether you like it or not, Sakura, and the past… can stay where it was. Behind._

For the present, she let herself be drawn once more into the conversation, and slowly, the comfort her friends offered, no matter how unconscious they were of it, gave Sakura a sense of peace.

For the moment, everything seemed fine. Not perfect, never perfect, but fine.

They managed to finish most of the reorganization a little later than noon, leaving only a few files for confirmation, as some had pages with the dates or names blurred. They didn't see Shizune again, and so they reported to another senior nurse of their progress. The older woman thanked them, and said they'd be free for the rest of the day.

"Yosh!" exclaimed Ino as she rubbed her stomach. "I'm starving! Where d'you girls want to eat? And no, Hinata, we are _not_ going to eat at Ichiraku's, regardless of who will be, or won't be there now. I'm not in the mood for ramen."

Hinata reddened at this and stammered incomprehensibly, proving that she was, indeed, about to suggest it.

They chose another favorite ninja hangout, that Korean barbecue place that Chouji, and consequently Shikamaru, often frequented. Sure enough, Ino's teammates were there, and it appeared that Shikamaru was already done eating, while Chouji was still munching on bits of meat. The three girls strode over to the boys' booth, and Ino poked Chouji on the shoulder until he moved, then sat down beside her hefty teammate. Shikamaru rolled his eyes but also scooted closer to the window, allowing Sakura, and then Hinata, to sit beside him.

Ino motioned for the waitress to come and take their orders, and soon all three girls were diving into their own bowls of food with gusto. Shikamaru looked on with one side of his mouth twitching. "I didn't know Chouji's… appetite… could be contagious."

"Shu'p, baka," mumbled Ino with her mouth full. "We've been working all morning, and we didn't take a break."

Shikamaru only snorted at this, and then motioned at Hinata, who had a bit of egg stuck to her chin. The dark-haired kunoichi barely gave it a flick with the napkin in her hand, and was once again slurping hungrily from her bowl. The meal went on in silence… well,_wordless_, more like, as the three girls satiated their hunger noisily and Chouji munched on lazily. Shikamaru spent most of the time staring out of the window.

When the four were done eating – not surprisingly, Chouji finished last – Shikamaru waved a hand and the waitress came over once more. The jounin handed her a few bills, and the waitress walked away.

"What's the occasion?" Ino asked, surprised. "Why're you treating us to lunch?"

"I'm not treating you to lunch. I just paid for my food and Chouji's."

"Baka," grumbled Ino. "If there's such a thing as a gentleman, there's also an _un_-gentleman, and this here, folks, is the prime example." She raised her palms towards Shikamaru in mock tribute.

Hinata giggled, as she and Sakura dug into their own purses.

"Why the hell should I treat you? You just ate like a pig, and I'm not made of money."

At this Ino took a bowl from the table and hit Shikamaru's head with it. Luckily it was made from sturdy china, and did not break, but its contents drenched the lazy ninja's hair and vest.

"What the hell, Ino! What did you do that for?" Shikamaru growled, and Sakura handed him her napkin. Chouji was guffawing, and the deep rumbles coming from him drew stares from the other customers. Sakura thought it wasn't the fact that Shikamaru insulted Ino that made her take umbrage, but that he used the word _pig_.

"And what's so funny, eh, Chouji? This is all your fault!" Shikamaru scowled at his best friend.

"Eh? How is this his fault?" asked Sakura, and this was interspersed with her own laughter.

"He lost a bet," explained Chouji through his guffaws.

"Oh? Do tell." Ino pressed her seatmate with a nudge of her elbow.

"Well, there's this ball next week, right, and we had a bet about who'd get a date first. I won." Chouji grinned, and his teeth almost pinged like Gai-sensei's.

"You had a _bet_ about getting a_date_? Who are you and what have you done with my 'girls-are-yucky' teammates? And… you actually got yourself a date?" Ino was incredulous. "Who is it?"

"Wait, there's a ball next week?" asked Sakura. The four looked at her, comically silent, as if she just asked the stupidest question.

"Ne, Forehead, where've you been all week, eh? Next week's Valentine's Day, and the Hokage announced last Friday that we'd have a ball. Shizune-san was talking all about it earlier. Oh… you weren't there yet, right."

"Seriously, Sakura, you didn't know?" Hinata asked.

Sakura shook her head. How could she miss this piece of information?

"Anyway, we were at Kurenai-sensei's earlier today with Kiba, visiting little Asuma, and it just came up," continued Chouji.

"He asked Kurenai-sensei, would you believe it?" Shikamaru shook his head.

"And she said _yes_, which is more important," Chouji said smugly. "It isn't like a _date_ date, you know. I just thought Kurenai-sensei should get out more."

Sakura looked at Chouji with wonder. He was right, of course. After Asuma-sensei's death and little Asuma's birth, they didn't see a whole lot of the pretty older kunoichi. They all knew how depressed she became, to the point that she stopped taking missions altogether. At first it was understandable, with little Asuma on the way, but now it seemed like she was just avoiding life altogether, just getting on as the moment came, pining for what she lost.

_Pining for what she lost…_

"That's really nice of you, Chouji." Hinata reached across the table and patted his hand, grateful to the boy for the sake of her old teacher.

"So, have you ladies got yourselves dates?" asked Chouji, who seemed confident now that he had secured his own date.

"Nah… I'll see about it later, I guess," said Ino.

"A-ano, no, not yet, Chouji-kun…" mumbled Hinata.

"I've only just learned of it now, so of course I haven't got one yet," said Sakura a bit sarcastically.

"Hey, Shika, you've got yourself a fine selection in front of you, what are you waiting for?" joked Chouji.

"What's the hurry? I already lost the bet, didn't I?"

"Well, if that's how you see it, no wonder you haven't got a date yet, lazy-ass!"

"Hm… Chouji narrowed his eyes thoughtfully at Ino. "I kind of remember Kiba saying something about— ouch!" He broke off as he reached beneath the table with difficulty while glaring at Shikamaru.

"What was that about?" demanded Ino.

"N-nothing, nothing… Kiba said we'd meet later today for practice. Right, that's what Kiba said, eh, Shika? Heheh," Chouji gave his own version of the fake smile.

"Kiba's going to practice with you?" Ino asked, an eyebrow raised unbelievingly.

Sakura and Hinata looked at each other and shrugged. Whatever it was, it seemed that Ino would be in for a surprise.

Soon after that, the group went their own ways. Shikamaru and Chouji walked off together, Ino said something about doing her share at the flower shop, and Hinata proceeded to the training grounds to meet up with her team for practice.

As Sakura walked to the library alone, she thought of the upcoming ball. Would she go? It seemed silly to not go, not when all her friends were going. And she admitted to herself she hadn't had a lot of time to unwind lately, working at the hospital and studying with Tsunade. This was also probably the reason why she never heard of this Valentine ball.

She didn't have a date, though, and that seemed pathetic. She was almost a hundred percent sure that Naruto would ask her, though heaven knows she didn't want to go with him. She knew he wasn't going to ask because of that silly crush he had on her years ago – she was sure he was over that now. He was going to ask because they were very good friends and that they both had no one else they'd rather go with.

He was going to ask because Sasuke was not here.

She wondered why men – even ninja teammates who were supposed to be on equal footing, idealistically speaking, with the kunoichi in their cells – thought that they had to take care of women, regardless of emotions that are or are not shared between them. Naruto cared for her, but sometimes he could be overbearing with his concern.

And then there was the matter of Hinata. Unlike Naruto, the girl never outgrew her childish crush on the loud ninja. Anyone could see how the Hyuuga heiress looked with longing at Naruto… well, except for Naruto. Sakura honestly didn't know if she should encourage Hinata or just tell her to give up. Hinata wasn't hopeless, but Naruto sure was. Hopelessly stupid not to see the good thing that was right in front of him, that was.

So she was going to refuse Naruto. She didn't want to hurt Hinata's feelings, especially now that they'd become really good friends, and she saw how wonderful the girl was. Perhaps she could help those two get together, and maybe even enlist Ino's help. Yes, she'd talk to Ino later, and they'd come up with a plan. The matter settled in her mind, she walked on with a light step. but then…

She really didn't want to go alone. It wasn't just pathetic, but she knew how everyone would look at her and think, "Oh, look at that Sakura, still pining after that Uchiha traitor." She remembered what she had been thinking earlier at the hospital.

_Reorganize, and think of what you are now, of where you are now. You'll get to the future whether you like it or not, Sakura, and the past… can stay where it was. Behind._

She opened the door to the public library, and as she looked for a table, she saw someone familiar poring over a book. She saw Sai sporadically in the library, and knew he was looking at books on emotions and psychology, his current absorption.

Now Sai was something else. He was here almost weekly, studying earnestly, and Sakura almost pitied him. This guy had let his emotions die, and was now hopelessly trying to get them back by reading books, while managing to offend just about everyone by his attempts at applying what he had learned from his studies.

And then an idea came to her.

She almost heard Naruto and Ino exclaim inside her head, "You have _got_ to be kidding. Sai?!"

Naruto and Ino be damned.

"Hey, Sai," she whispered, as she slid into the seat next to him.

"Hey, Hag." He gave her the fakest smile Konoha ever knew.

She gave him a weaker version of the fake smile. "Sai, if we weren't in the library, and if I wasn't afraid of getting banned here, I'd floor you, you know that?"

"Whatever you say, Hag." Fake smile was still in place.

"Baka! Be serious, I've a question for you!" she hissed.

"Oh, questions. I love questions," he said.

Sakura thought she should get this over with before she lost her patience.

"Sai… will you be my date on Valentine's Day?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Asymptotic Perfection**

_**by Mileharo Kerran **_

_Things get a bit less serious this time around. Wow, humor. I just hope I did it okay, hahah. __Tell me what you think? Input always helps. Thanks for reading. _

_If I made a living out of writing this, I'd starve to death. Good thing I don't own Naruto. ;) _

**Chapter Two: Reactions **

Sakura seethed.

The moment she asked Sai if he would be her date on the Valentine ball, she realized it was a mistake. What was she thinking, asking that social retard if he would be her escort next week? She thought to spare herself the village's pity, but this… this cried of desperate.

While she had become friendly with Sai through the course of their acquaintance – whenever her fist didn't connect with his jaw, that was – she couldn't honestly say that he had become a close friend. No, Sakura couldn't see him as one when he did nothing but insult her in almost every sentence. She never really had a decent conversation with him that lasted for more than five minutes – and it was _his_ fault, not hers; those times when she knocked him out with a well-placed punch were merely attempts on her part to help him in his quest for reclaiming his emotions. Yeah, it was definitely important to make him see that his insults were _not_ acceptable, and what better way to make him remember than with a physical memory? Spare the fist and spoil the ninja, so to speak.

Plus there was this whole thing about him looking a lot like Sasuke. Quite a number of people have remarked on the similarity, and while she knew Sasuke's eyes were less slanted than his, and that Sai had a slightly wider but fuller mouth, she had to admit, there was more than a passing resemblance. And this would be a problem, she thought. The whole point of getting a date for next week was to make people see her with someone new, not to remind them of her old infatuation.

All this went through her mind even before Sai gave her a reply. And then he said, "Go on a date with you? Why are you asking me? Isn't the guy supposed to ask the girl? I read that once, you know." This was said in a voice that, while it was not overly loud, apparently carried through the library, as other patrons looked questioningly at them.

_Bad idea, Sakura, to ask Sai in the library. Bad idea. _

"Shh, Sai, lower your voice! If I'd meant to make this public I'd have used the Hokage's own P.A.!" she hissed.

"Eh? You mean we'll go on a date in secret? Like, only the two of us will know we're on a date?" He seemed intrigued by the prospect of a secret date.

"No, idiot, I meant the _asking_! You do the asking in private! The whole point of going on a date is to make people see you're together!" That wasn't entirely true, but that was what came to Sakura's mind first.

"I see. So… Valentine's day, eh? Hey, Sakura, are you in love with me?"

"WHAT?!" This time her explosive response caused the other library users to look at them disapprovingly, and some _shh_-ed her. "Are you completely insane, Sai?!"

"No, I'm not. Why are you shouting? Not so loud, Hag, we're in the library. Look, the sign says 'Silence Please'." He raised his finger to show Sakura.

"No, I am _not_ in love with you, Sai. Why in Kami's belly would you think I am?"

"Well, I read somewhere that a guy – yeah, a _guy_ – would ask a girl out if he was in love with her. The guy in that book did, and it was also for Valentine's Day."

"What the hell kind of book was that?" asked Sakura, straining to keep her voice low.

"'Let the Rivers of Your Heart Flow'. I forgot who wrote it, but there was this nice picture in front with this girl in a really short dress and the guy with no shirt. The lighting was fantastic, such great shadows on the guy's chest, you won't believe it. Say, Sakura, you think I'd need to take off my shirt like that on our date?" He stared down the inside of his shirt, and Sakura caught a glimpse of smooth, pale skin on his chest.

Sakura's jaw dropped. The image of Sai shirtless rendered her speechless, with his chest glistening as he stood aboard a pirate ship, with herself wearing a short, frilly dress with a neckline that plunged up to there, and him saying "Let the rivers of your heart flow, my Sakura, my love," as he lowered his face to hers –

" – but then that girl had an amazing chest, Hag. You know, Kiba said something about silicone implants. Just what are those?"

Sakura snapped back to attention. Silicone implants? How the hell had they ended up talking about silicone implants when she was trying to get a date for the ball? She had had enough.

"They're something people put inside stupid ninjas' heads to make them think better," she bit out spitefully.

"Oh. I thought Naruto said something about making girl's jugs look bigger, but then he really didn't explain too much." He placed his palms on his chests to illustrate, pinching his muscles there almost absently, while Sakura looked on, horrified. "You don't need them for your brain, you're really smart already, but then maybe you could still get them for your breasts. They're rather small, you know."

The sound that came from Sakura was somewhere between a shriek and a hiss, and she stood up from her chair so fast that it toppled over. Woodenly she walked away. Sai had just topped his record of most insulting, and she had to go before she did something she'd truly regret. Well, she did already, asking him to that stupid ball.

"Hey Sakura! Hag! Why are you leaving so soon? Where are we going on our date on Valentine's Day?"

As she walked out of the library she heard more than one voice call out "Quiet!"

And now as she stood outside an examination room in the hospital the next day, waiting for Tsunade for their early morning lesson, she couldn't help but think about the embarrassing experience yesterday at the library. She spent a sleepless night seething, and she didn't know if she was more angry with Sai or with herself. Certainly it had not been one of her better ideas, and she was grateful there were only a few people in the library at the time. This was not something she'd want anyone of her acquaintances hear of.

Tsunade rounded the corner, and before she could greet her teacher the older woman said, "Congratulations, Sakura, I heard you got yourself a date for next week."

Sakura's eyebrows met her hairline at this announcement. "Wha- who told you, Shishou?"

Tsunade looked at her quizzically. "You look surprised. Was it supposed to be a secret?" The medical genius opened the door to the examination room and walked in, flicking on a switch and flooding the room with light. In the middle of room stood two stainless steel tables, and on top of each a corpse lay covered with a white sheet.

_Great. Nothing to improve one's day than opening up a dead body. _

"N-no, I just wondered how you knew of it. Not a surprise, really."

"Hm. One of the library assistants told Shizune yesterday, and she told me."

Sakura was utterly horrified. The encounter yesterday only needed an announcement in the morning paper to make it truly official that indeed, Haruno Sakura Has Asked Sai To The Valentine Ball, see all the details in page B-2. Now she's really done it. She can't go to the ball without Sai, seeing as how everybody knew of it already._Way to go, Sakura._

From one end of the room Tsunade pulled a rolling table, on top of which were various medical implements for the procedure they were about to study. She handed her young charge a pair of gloves in their sterile package, and as she tore hers open she said, with a distant look and a half smile, "I remember the first dance I ever attended. It wasn't Valentine's Day… I think it was the midsummer festival. I was fifteen at the time, and Jiraiya was the first one to ask me. Of course I turned him down." The buxom woman chuckled ruefully. "Now I wish I hadn't. What I wouldn't do to have him back here…"

Sakura didn't know what to say. The memory of Konoha's fallen hero still haunted her master. She tugged on her own gloves and waited for Tsunade to say something.

"I thought Naruto would ask you, though. Didn't he?"

"Well… I didn't give him the chance, to be honest. I asked Sai to be my date as soon as I heard of the dance." Her face grew annoyingly warm as she remembered just how he'd "accepted".

"So… you have a thing for this boy?"

"Wha- no! Shishou, for heaven's sake! I don't even like the guy!" Sakura wished she'd bitten her tongue at her thoughtless reply. This was _not_ the way she planned to show the world how she was trying to get over… _him_.

"Tchah, why did you ask him out, then?"

The young kunoichi mumbled something like, "Spur of the moment, I guess."

Tsunade chuckled. "Why do you look so glum, eh? No sense not enjoying the ball. Buck up, kid, Sai's not so terrible."

The morning went on like that, with Tsunade talking about both the lesson and some stories from her own past. Every once in a while she teased Sakura about her date with the emotionless boy, and Sakura grew more and more restless as her agitation increased.

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief when the lesson was over. As she walked out of the building in search of a quiet spot where she could get some lunch, she met Hinata who was struggling up the street with her arms full with what seemed to be books, magazines and videotapes.

"Hey, Hinata, where're you off to?" Sakura took about half of Hinata's armload.

"Oh, hi, Sakura… ah, no, I can manage these—" As Hinata tried to snatch the things back from Sakura, a few of them flew from her grasp and landed on the ground.

"Gosh! I'm sorry, Hinata, I didn't—" But Hinata was already on her knees gathering the books and videos that had fallen. Sakura crouched down to help, but it seemed Hinata's hands were moving in a frenzied blur in her effort to tuck them safely against her jacket before Sakura could touch them. Which was exactly why Sakura's gaze zoomed onto the titles, some of which read "You Can Dance, Too", "Waltz for Beginners" and "Spring Formalwear".

Sakura's eyebrows and lips raised at this. "You learning to dance, Hinata?"

"Uh… well, y-yes, see, Ino lent me these for the b-ball, 'cause… y-you know—"

"I don't know how to dance either. Is that a videotape I see? How about we make a date of it? C'mon, let's go find Ino-pig. "

They walked downtown towards the Yamanaka Flower Shop, with Hinata finally conceding to Sakura's offer of help with the videotapes and books.

"Ano… Sakura, it's great you asked Sai to go with you."

"Great-shmate. Don't tell anyone, Hinata, but I really wish I didn't."

Hinata's eyes grew round at this. "But why? Sai seems pretty nice. Well, I've never really talked to him, but he's always smiling and such, and Kiba-kun says he's cool to hang around with."

"Oh, Hinata, if you only knew." Sakura rolled her eyes. "If you get to talk with him for two minutes straight, you'll know what I'm talking about."

"Really? Ino said he was kind of… h-h-hot, too." The shy girl's face blazed red at this.

"Bah. Just because he calls her be-- never mind. Oh, forget Sai." She waved a hand dismissively. "How about you? Has anyone asked you?"

"No, not really. But… Shino-kun did ask me to save him a dance if he decided to come." Hinata sighed. "I really wish I could just go and ask… well… uh, I think it was cool of you to ask someone, Sakura."

"Don't worry, Hinata, Naruto will come to his senses sooner or later."_I'll make damn sure he does,_ Sakura thought with an evil glint in her eye.

"But – I never said – ah – "

Just then a black-and-orange-and-green blur materialized in front of the two girls.

"Is it true?" Rock Lee cried, his hands wrapped around Naruto's neck, while the blond shinobi rubbed his elbow against the green-clad ninja's cheek. Both were dusty and sweaty. Hinata stood in frozen mortification while Sakura gaped at the two.

"Saaaakura-chaaan, how could you?" Naruto panted, thrusting his lower lip out as he glomped onto Sakura's arm with his free hand. "You were supposed to go the ball with me." The ninja tugged her elbow.

"Sorry, Naruto, Lee-san –"

"NOOOO!!!" wailed the older shinobi dramatically, his eyes welling with tears. "My beautiful flower has gone and given herself to a heartless knave for her first ball! I will never know the pleasure of being the first to initiate her in the youthful art of dancing!"

His lamentation was interrupted by Naruto's fist smashing on top of his head, but Lee would not be stopped. "If I had known I would come back only today from my mission to this heartache, I would have rushed home sooner! Oh, the coldness in my heart, I cannot bear it!"

"And you asked _Sai_! I thought you liked me, Sakura-chan!" Naruto's fist was repeatedly hitting Lee's bowl-cut, but it seemed neither of the two were aware of this as they wailed.

Just then another spandex-clad ninja appeared in a puff of smoke. "What is this, my youthful comrades? The dark waves of your turmoil could be felt from a mile away!"

"Gai-sensei!" Lee promptly disengaged himself from Naruto and clasped his master's hands.

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!" This time it was Naruto who cried out. "Sakura asked Sai to the Valentine Ball, and now… and now I won't be able to go the ball with her!"

"But… my friends, do not let this tragedy completely douse the fires of your youth!" Gai struck a pose, to Sakura's discomfort. "Let this be a lesson to you that all is fair in love and war! If Sakura will be going with Sai, then she has found him worthy of her, and you can only do so much to strive to be better! Do you hear me, Lee?"

"Gai-sensei… you are absolutely correct! Your wisdom never fails to inspire me! Naruto, we are longtime rivals in Sakura's love, but it appears that this new contender has bested us this time! There is hope yet for the future, if we can improve ourselves for Sakura-san!"

Sakura's lip twitched in disbelief.

"I swear," continued the impassioned young shinobi, "that I will run five hundred laps around Konoha every day until Sakura has deemed me worthy of her affections! And I will start right now!" With that, Lee took of, leaving a cloud of dust behind him.

"I shall go with you, Lee, and help you fulfill the dreams of your heart! I'll see you all later! Five hundred laps!" Gai smiled his dazzling smile to the other three, and went after his protégé.

Naruto's shoulders drooped, and he continued his whining. "Saaakura. How can you do this to me? You know I would have been the first one to ask you if I had known sooner. Now I don't have a date to the ball, why didn't you ask me? Why did you have to as—"

Right at that moment, a very loud rumble could be heard, and Naruto looked down at his stomach. "See how you made me all riled up and hungry. C'mon, let's get some ramen. You're gonna treat me to some, at the very least." He started to drag Sakura towards his favorite restaurant.

"Uh, Sakura, I-I'll just see you later. You too, Naruto." The voice was low and strained.

Sakura forced Naruto to stop walking and looked back at Hinata. To her horror, the other kunoichi's face was paler than normal, and her downcast eyes were brimming with tears.

"Oy, Hinata! I didn't know you were here," Naruto waved a hand at the girl.

The white-eyed gaze flew to Naruto's face, and Sakura's heart broke a little at what she saw there. Without another word, Hinata walked hurriedly away.

"Huh?" Naruto's brows furrowed. "What was wrong with her?"

Sakura sighed in exasperation. "Naruto. You are such. An. Idiot."

"Are we eating now?"

Sakura made him eat her fist.


	4. Chapter 4

Asymptotic Perfection

**Asymptotic Perfection**

_**by Mileharo Kerran**_

_A/N: Hmm… this chapter feels kind of… disjointed, maybe, especially since the story is from different people's P.O.V.'s, but I thought it would be nice to just show how the other people were doing… Naruto's got so many great characters, it's not difficult to imagine how each one would think. Plus I just got plain carried away with the rambling, I guess. As always, reader enjoyment is the priority, so please, constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated if improvements are needed. And to BlueIceWolf… yes to your question, but I thought the circumstances of… that… didn't need to be detailed in this particular story. Thanks to everyone who have given me reviews. :)_

_I don't own Naruto. _

**xxxxxxx**

**Chapter Three: This Business of Dating  
**

"What's the matter, Lee?"

Tenten posed the question in the early afternoon the next day as a dejected Lee walked into the training grounds. He was a few minutes late, and she and Neji had already begun their warm-up stretching.

"Oh, nothing. I just do not feel much like training today." Lee sighed deeply, and commenced his own stretching.

Neji looked on curiously. "Is that you, Lee? You don't want to train today?"

"Eh? Are you feeling sick?" asked Tenten.

"No," came the morose reply.

"You feeling sleepy?"

"No."

"Hungry?"

"I am feeling dateless, is all." Another heavy sigh escaped the normally-cheerful boy.

Tenten and Neji exchanged glances.

"You mean… for the ball next week?"

"Yes, Tenten."

"Eh… that's alright. I don't have a date, either, and neither does Neji," the kunoichi said dismissively.

"What makes you think so?" asked Neji.

Tenten looked at him in surprise. "You mean you got yourself a date?"

"No… not really." Neji replied, a hint of a wry smile lifting his lips.

"Bah. It's no big deal, Lee."

"It is, too! Sakura-san has asked Sai, how can that not be a big deal?" Lee looked reproachfully at Tenten from between his legs midstretch.

"Oh… so that's your problem." Tenten struggled not to smile. "It's not the end of the world, Lee."

"Seriously, Lee, you still like that girl? You know she's still pining for that Uchiha. Talk about hopeless," Neji said.

Tenten's hand flew out and smacked Neji's immaculate head. "Neji! That is not helping at all!"

"You dare much, woman," Neji growled as he smoothed a hand over his dark locks. The dynamics between the three had changed enough in the last few years to allow this kind of behavior without much issue.

Tenten continued as if she didn't hear Neji. "Tell you what, Lee, if you like, I'd go to the ball with you." She looked everywhere but at him.

Lee suddenly straightened from his upside-down position. "Really? You would do that for me, Tenten?"

"Sure, that's what friends do, right?" she smiled nonchalantly, but her cheeks were a bit pink.

"Eh? What about me? I was planning to ask you, Tenten!" Neji broke in.

"Really?"

"There's no one else to ask. You're the only girl I really know outside the family, and I can't very well ask my own cousins."

"Gee, thanks, Neji," Tenten huffed disgustedly. "Nice to know I'm useful for something." Neji only shrugged.

"So… you two are going together?" Lee asked hesitantly. He would have liked to go with Tenten, if he couldn't have Sakura. She was one of his best friends, after all, and Lee was beginning to get resigned to the fact that Sakura would probably never want to be more than friends with him.

The lone girl in the group pondered on this. She was really surprised that the Hyuuga even considered asking her, but then what he said was true – she was conveniently the only girl he knew enough to ask out for such a function. She knew it wasn't right to compare her teammates, but in the past few years she'd grown to appreciate Lee's natural warm-heartedness, and something inside her gravitated towards this. She didn't want to think too much about these newfound emotions… but here, at the present, the opportunity to discover more of it was presenting itself, and before she knew it, she had actually asked him!

But then for some reason she felt guilty about the thought of leaving Neji out. She was aware that people thought they could be a good match – she agreed that they were probably right, but only when it came to sparring; her multi-weapon techniques were perfect for his defensive moves, but outside of that… he really did nothing for her. And she knew it was the same for him – while she knew he was no longer the cold-hearted prodigy he once was, he had yet to open himself up enough to allow another person fully in. This whole thing was too ironic… people were pushing her towards one of the most attractive men in all of Konoha, but she just had to be fascinated with the bumbling and awkward Lee.

"Well… I could go with you two. How about that?" Her face broke into a full grin.

"That is such a good idea, Tenten!" Lee jumped closer to the two. "I've never been to a three-person date before! Oh, you are really wonderful! I am so lucky to have such a brilliant and beautiful teammate like you! The day has suddenly become so… so fresh and new! How great it is to have such good friends!" He threw his arms around his two teammates and hugged them to him.

"Stop it, Lee, you're embarrassing me," Tenten's voice was muffled against Lee's shoulder.

"You're embarrassing _me_. You want a jyuuken?" mumbled Neji.

But Lee held on tight. "Yosh!" he exclaimed happily.

The day had suddenly become so… so fresh and new.

**xxxxxxx**

In the middle of the sunny afternoon, a shadowy figure lurked behind a lamppost close to a small restaurant. Every once in a while he would peek around his hiding place, his eyes going left and right behind his dark glasses as he waited for his victim.

Uzumaki Naruto walked in a cheerful gait towards his favorite eating place, his hands behind his head and a tune whistling through his lips, just the slightest bit off-key. He had just come from training with Chouji and Shikamaru, and though he was more than a bit dusty and sweaty, his hunger for his beloved ramen was greater than his need for a cool shower.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of him, and he stopped midstride.

"Shino?"

"Naruto," the mysterious boy said in his monotone. "Do you have a date for the Valentine Ball?"

"Aww, come on, Shino! There's no need to rub it in!" The loud ninja stomped his feet in frustration. "My date went and asked another guy, alright!"

"So you don't have a date yet?" Neither the tone nor the volume changed.

"Wait a minute," Naruto looked at Shino suspiciously, his eye twitching, "you're not… you're not planning to ask _me_, are you? 'Cause I don't swing that way at all, man!"

"Just answer the question."

"I am so not coming with you!" exploded Naruto. "Hell, this is even worse than Sakura asking Sai! I'm not that desperate, you know!"

He started to walk away, but then Shino's fist suddenly hit the lamppost threateningly, his arm blocking Naruto's path. "It's a simple enough question, Naruto. Do you or do you not have a date yet?"

"N-no," Naruto said in a voice that was at least two octaves higher than normal. This guy really was scary sometimes.

Shino brought his fist down to his side. "Ask Hinata," he deadpanned.

"Eh?"

"Ask Hinata."

"Ask Hinata? But… why?" Naruto was completely baffled.

"Naruto. I'm sure you've heard this before, but let me tell you again." His hidden face came closer to the blond, and he carefully enunciated his words: "You really are an idiot."

"Heeey! There's no need for name-calling! Is it a fight you want? You could have just said so!" Konoha's loudest ninja pulled his sleeves up and curled his fingers into fists.

"So you're not going to ask her?" Shino ignored Naruto's threatening pose entirely.

"This is all too sudden! Why should I ask her, you're not even saying why!"

"Never mind, what's the use." Shino suddenly turned around and walked away. Naruto could only look at his retreating back in surprise.

"I'll ask her myself," was what Naruto thought he heard Shino say as he walked away.

_That guy really is so strange sometimes. _

**xxxxxxx**

"Thank you, come again soon." Ino smiled as the man left the store, his hands carefully clutching a bouquet of flowers. Already the shop was filling orders right and left, and it was just the week before Valentine's Day. She was happy that the flower shop was doing well, but she felt just the tiniest bit sad that everywhere around her, people were getting together, while she had… no one.

Really, it was ridiculous to think that the pretty and outgoing Yamanaka Ino honestly had no one, but it was also painfully, embarrassingly true. Though she flirted shamelessly with the boys in town, it was mostly just playful banter. Since Sasuke, there had been no one to catch more than her passing interest. She'd long outgrown her crush on the Uchiha, especially after seeing the real thing in her best friend.

All this time Sakura still loved Sasuke, and Ino almost pitied the girl, for it really did seem that there was no future for the two. Sakura confided in her the details of her last encounter with her ex-teammate, and Ino's own heart broke for her friend. While she felt sad for Sakura, she also admired her secretly for the abiding love that she felt for Konoha's lost son. She was ashamed of herself, and thought she was a bit shallow compared to Sakura, with her flirtations and seasonal fancies. She would never tell Sakura any of this, of course, but she truly had come to respect her friend.

And so she was glad to hear that Sakura had asked Sai. When she called her friend up the other night to confirm this fact, Sakura told her that maybe, just maybe, it was time to get on with her life. Ino had been happy for her, but she doubted the wisdom of "getting on with life" with the emotionless boy. She told Sakura so, but the other girl just said sarcastically that she was just jealous that she'd asked the guy who called Ino "beautiful", and that Ino herself didn't have a date yet. The ensuing "Forehead-Pig-Forehead-Pig" fight lasted for quite a while over the phone, but in the end they both conceded that maybe they were too old for their childish namecalling, and had a laugh over it.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the bell tinkling over the shop door, and she put on the friendly smile she reserved for customers. She was surprised to see who walked in, and the smile slid off her face.

"Hey, Ino." The boy smiled as he approached, his eyetooth prominently gleaming.

"Kiba? I don't remember ever seeing you here before."

"Yeah, well… I was just trying to get an idea of what I should get my date for next week. You'll help me, right?"

_He has a date?_ Ino thought. He was smiling devilishly again, and she couldn't help but think that through the years, he'd grown kind of cute. She wondered who the lucky girl was.

"O-of course, Kiba. Will you be wanting a bouquet or a corsage?"

"Hmm… I honestly don't know. What would _you_ like?" he asked innocently, bending down a bit and curling his arms over the counter in front of pretty blonde.

"Me?" Ino was surprised. "Oh, you mean… of course. What would a _girl_ like." She was flustered to realize that for a second, she thought he really was asking _her_. "It depends on the girl, I guess. What's your date like?"

"Let's see… I've known her for a long time, since the academy, and she's always been around, you know. She's real pretty, in fact she's one of the prettiest girls in Konoha, and a lot of boys like her but are afraid to ask her out. I think maybe they're scared of her dad, or something. I've liked her for quite some time now."

_Oh God, he's talking about Hinata. He likes Hinata?!_

"But she's been pining after this guy from school, but really, I don't think they'd be right together. They don't suit at all. Plus he's never around."

Sure, Naruto was gone for a long time when he went training with Jiraiya, but since he got back, Ino sincerely wished for Hinata that they'd get together. And now here Kiba was, trying to ruin things for them. Ino honestly couldn't see Hinata and Kiba together, but they had been teammates for a long time after all…

"So… what do you say? Can you help me?" He was smiling his puppydog smile, and she didn't know if he practiced that look in front of the mirror, because it was too darn appealing.

"Sure. I think your date wouldn't like something too big… maybe a few flowers in a nice box? Nothing too loud, either, you'd want pastels, maybe… soft pinks ought to be good." She was all business now, and her voice was cool and polite. Too cool and polite?

"Yeah… that would be nice. She'd look good with pink, I think."

Ino realized she was playing with the corners of some wrapping paper on the counter nervously, and she immediately stopped. "So… will you be picking them up or do you want them delivered next week?"

"Oh, I'll just drop by. Be sure to be around, alright?" He started for the door.

"Eh? But… I have to prepare for the ball, and –"

"And please ask your mom to make the arrangement." He was already at the door, then he paused and looked back. "I can't very well ask my date to make her own bouquet, right?" He grinned at the surprised look on Ino's face.

As he turned the doorknob, Ino cried out, "Wait a second, are you asking _me_ to come with you to the ball?"

"Of course. You'll say yes, right?" His face was completely serious now, and she noticed, even in her shock, that he was gripping the doorknob tightly.

For a moment the loud Ino could only work her lips wordlessly like a fish, struggling to find an answer. No one else had asked her – she was actually counting on Chouji to take her to the ball, but seeing that her good friend already asked their departed sensei's lover, she realized she really had no options in the matter. Except to refuse Kiba… and there really was no reason why she should, and so she decided the easiest thing to do was to just say –

"Yes."

Kiba breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll see you around, then." He winked at her and went out.

Ino stared at the closed door in wonder.

**xxxxxxx**

Shikamaru sighed as he tied a note to the pigeon's leg. "This is such a drag," he muttered, and handed the bird to the man in charge of sending them out.

"Let me know if I get a reply," he mumbled as he loped out of the building.

**xxxxxxx**

Over in Suna, there was a knock on Temari's office door, and she looked up from her paperwork to see a messenger walk in with something in his hand.

"A note for you, Temari-sama."

The man handed the rolled-up paper to her and bowed before going out of the room.

She was surprised to see that it was from Konoha, and hurriedly opened it, only to find that it said –

_Temari, _

_Come to Konoha Tuesday next week. I have a problem. It's damn troublesome, but only you can help me. I'll tell you when you get here. _

_Shikamaru _

Temari snorted. He was asking her to come on such short notice without even telling her why? That guy really was something. And Tuesday was… Valentine's Day. An almost imperceptible flutter worked its way into her midsection. Now what was he up to?

Here she was, so busy working, and he interrupts like this as if she had all the time in the world to waste.

She let out an exasperated sigh.

She never could resist him.

**xxxxxxx**

Sai was nothing if not thorough. The very day that Sakura asked him to be her date – though at the time he didn't know exactly where they were going yet, but thank heavens another library patron congratulated him on "getting such a pretty girl to go with him to the Valentine ball" – he looked up some books on dancing and etiquette, his absorption with emotion temporarily eclipsed by this new thing. He didn't know how to dance – he never really had any occasion that required him to – but as he read the books he realized that it was impossible to learn from just reading.

He thought of asking someone to help him with his dilemma, and the first person he thought of was his friend Naruto. But then Naruto was away on a mission with Lee and would return tomorrow, so he'd have to wait until then.

The next day, he was up early, and lurked by the village gate, impatiently waiting for Naruto to return. Around midday, the two shinobi got back from their mission, and as soon as they stepped into Konoha Sai intercepted them.

"Hey, Dickless," he greeted Naruto warmly. Lee looked at the pale boy in surprise.

"Sai," Naruto replied wearily. "I am in no mood for this right now. I need some food and a shower, and my legs hurt like the devil, so please… later."

"But Naruto, you have to help me. That's what friends do, right? And we're friends, right? And you should always help a friend who's having problems. I read that," Sai spoke as he followed behind Naruto and Lee.

Naruto rolled his eyes, and sighed resignedly. "Alright, out with it, Sai."

Sai spoke with his usual smile, "See, there's this ball next week for Valentine's Day, and Ugly asked me yesterday if I'd be her date –"

"WHAT?! She asked _you_?!" Naruto screamed suddenly, pointing a shaking finger at him, and Lee jumped in surprise. "How can she ask you? This is impossible! Didn't she know that I was coming back today? She just asked you cause I was away, right? Why didn't she wait for me to come back? Where is she? _Where is she_?!" With that, Naruto took off, while a bewildered Sai and Lee exchanged glances.

"So you got yourself a date next week, eh? That is great, my friend!" Lee patted Sai's shoulder in congratulations. "So who is it? Who is this 'Ugly?' You should not call people names, you know, that hurts their feelings."

"Oh." Sai shrugged. "It's only Sakura."

"WHAT?!" Lee's voice was even shriller than Naruto's. "Sakura-san asked _you_? But I intended to ask her! This is terrible!" And then Lee also took off after Naruto, leaving Sai gaping.

The dark-haired shinobi sighed. He waited the entire morning for his friend, but it appears he'd have to look for help somewhere else. He wondered what got those two so upset.

**xxxxxxx**

Sai put the phone down with a sigh. He looked up dancing studios in the telephone directory, and found out that there was only a single one in all of Konoha. _Oh well, it's a ninja village… you can't really expect people to have a lot of time for dancing_. He dialled the number listed there, and after about fifty rings was greeted by a bored female voice which proceeded to ask if he was interested in putting down his name for lessons. Enthusiastically he said yes, he would like that very much, and when can he start? But then after what sounded like gum popping against a background with a jazzy beat, the voice droned that he'd have to wait a few weeks before the current classes ended – apparently there was only one teacher, and he was talking to her, so if there wasn't anything more could he please just swing by the place if he wanted to sign up, because her students were waiting, thank you very much?

After that disappointing episode, he left his apartment and wandered through the town. It was a fine Saturday morning, and only a few people were milling about. He wondered what else he could do before next week's… activities. He thought of asking his ANBU acquaintances if they could help, but discarded the idea after a while, knowing that those guys would probably be too busy for something like this, and also because he hasn't seen most of them since the dissolution of Root. A random image of the masked warriors dancing some sultry number in perfect military coordination floated through his mind, with roses between their masked mouths and blood-red petals falling dramatically around them… He felt something weird tickling the corner of his lips at the thought. He'd been having these strange twitchy sensations more and more lately, and absent-mindedly he scractched his cheek.

Turning a corner, he ran into Naruto and Shikamaru, who seemed to be having a serious discussion. Upon seeing his teammate, Naruto's face scrunched up into a terrible scowl, and he pointed an accusatory finger at Sai. "You… you _date-stealer!_"

"Hey, Dickless… Pineapple-Top," he greeted, with his fake smile automatically lifting his lips. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing that would concern traitorous bastard friends, eh," Naruto growled.

"Oh, do you mean Sas—"

"Heeyyyy, Sai, what's been happening to you?" Shikamaru broke in, not allowing Sai to take the blond's anger to a whole new level with his tactlessness.

"I was thinking of how I could learn dancing before the ball, but the dance studio's not taking in new students for a few more weeks," Sai replied.

"Yeah… went there yesterday, too… bummer… I have to come up with something before Temari arrives, yeah… the least I could do," Shikamaru muttered, his gaze floating up to the clear blue midmorning sky. "Plus all the videotapes from the library are out… the lady said they already have a waiting list for reservations."

"Well, I guess I really don't need to be part of this discussion, since I won't have anyone to dance with next week… no thanks to you, asshole," Naruto hissed at Sai. "I'll just see you later, Shikamaru."

"I'll dance with you, Dickless," Sai volunteered, mentally patting himself on the back for thinking up something so thoughtful. At this, Shikamaru let loose a bark of laughter.

"I'd sooner dance with a shit-covered Orochimaru, bastard." With another glare, Naruto walked away, leaving Shikamaru holding on to his sides in laughing pain, while Sai waved goodbye. "See you, Naruto." The blond lifted his hand in a crude gesture without looking back.

"You really are too much, Sai," the genius said, still struggling to catch his breath.

"Hmm… so we are in a similar plight…" Sai mumbled distractedly as he resumed walking, while Shikamaru fell into step beside him.

"Yeah… but I've been thinking maybe we can just ask someone we know to help… not our ladies, of course, wouldn't want to ruin it for them…" Shikamaru seemed to be talking to himself just like Sai was. "I'd ask my mother, but that woman will just nag me with every wrong step I'd take. I'm telling you, we need a woman for this…"

**xxxxxxx**

Hinata pressed a finger against the doorbell for a moment, and from inside the small compound, she heard an electronic chiming, followed by a chorus of canine barks which were in the next moment shushed by a familiar voice. "Hinata? Is that you?"

The gate flew open and her teammate's messy head popped out of the opening. "Hey, Kiba-kun… I was just wondering… if we aren't training today? I've been waiting in the usual place… since about three…?"

"Eh… you have?" Kiba ushered her in out of the midafternoon sun. "Gods… I'm so sorry! Didn't you get the message I left at your house?"

"Uh… no, I was in the library all morning, and I had lunch with Ino … No, I didn't get a message." She patted a few of the furry heads that were now sniffing around her legs in a friendly fashion. The Inuzuka dogs weren't so scary once you got used to them… and they to you.

"Awww, I'm sorry… but see, I had a sort of emergency, and I can't get away now…" He glanced back at the house. "You mean you've been waiting for an hour?"

Hinata noticed that her teammate looked a bit flushed, and there was a sheen of perspiration on his brow. She thought she heard strains of music coming from the house, as well as a few muffled voices. "Emergency? Is everthing alright?"

"Yes, yes, everything's great," Kiba said distractedly. "It's just that… I don't know if I should tell you – " he shot another furtive look at the house, " – the guys and I are just practicing," he finally whispered. "Don't tell em I told you, eh."

Hinata's brows lifted in confusion. "Practicing what, Kiba-kun?"

"We're learning how to dance! For next week's ball!" Kiba's hands flew sideways excitedly, and Hinata thought she saw an almost mad gleam in his dark eyes. "It's supposed to be a secret… and Hana's helping out…"

"Really? That's really nice, Kiba-kun! So Shino's here, too?" Hinata smiled at the idea of her teammates taking the initiative to learn dancing.

"Yes… and Chouji and Shika and Sai… and damn… I didn't know Chouji had some fine moves on those huge feet of his!"

Hinata giggled, her anxiety over her solitary wait by the training grounds now entirely gone. It wasn't her friends' fault that she didn't get the message, and she was really happy the guys seemed to be enjoying their impromptu lesson. "I suppose I can't join you?" she asked, even if she already knew the answer.

"Awww, sorry, Hinata… it's supposed to be a surprise, actually… and it would be weird if you're practicing with your date, ne?"

Hinata's smile weakened a bit at this reminder. Shino had asked her nicely enough yesterday afternoon if she wanted to come with him next week, and while deep in her heart she wished Naruto would be the one to ask her, she knew it probably wouldn't happen. Shino hastened to reassure her that they'd only be going as friends, and that she'd have chances the entire evening to get to dance with Naruto if he could help it. She began stammering once again at this, but then her perceptive teammate said she shouldn't have anything to worry about. And so she tried to keep the reluctance from showing in her voice when she agreed to be Shino's date, knowing that it was a very nice gesture on his part to ask her.

Kiba laid a hand on Hinata's shoulder. "Don't worry too much, Hina-chan, that baka Naruto will come around."

She was beginning to get used to this reaction; all her friends were apparently aware of her one-sided affection for the blond shinobi, and at first she was completely embarrassed, but after coming to realize that they all wished her luck on this, she managed to tamp down her embarrassment with her gratitude to her friends.

With a grateful smile, she squeezed Kiba's hand.

**xxxxxxx**

"We really need to do something about that girl," Sakura listened to Ino on the phone late Saturday night. "She's _suffering_, Forehead."

"I know… Naruto's such an idiot. Sometimes I wonder if I should just tell him and put Hinata out of her misery."

"Hmm… no good. What she sees in him, I wonder," Ino mumbled absent-mindedly.

"Ino! How could you say that? He isn't so bad," Sakura rushed to defend her teammate.

"I was joking, Forehead… just joking! Geez…" Ino laughed at the other end of the line. "What's with you lately? You've been snapping people's heads off these past few days… are you on your period?"

"Eh, shut up, Pig, I have not! Uh… have I?"

"Yeah, you almost had that new girl at the hospital in tears when you told her she might as well aim five inches to the left to hit it dead center," Ino chuckled.

"She was getting on my nerves! She'd been at it for five minutes already, and she still couldn't let that scalpel to even touch the skin!"

"It was her first day, what do you expect? Well… if it isn't your period, what is it?" Sakura didn't like the teasing tone that crept into Ino's voice.

"Nothing! I don't know what you're talking about," Sakura grumbled.

"Say, Sakura, I like how Sai gets to you."

"What?! What the hell are you talking about, eh? What's Sai got to do with anything?" her voice became at least doubly defensive in an instant.

"See, he just did it again, and he isn't even here."

"What?! Wha—you're out of your mind, Pig."

"So… has he kissed you yet?"

"Ino, I don't know what kind of weed you've smoked – we don't even spend time outside of missions together!"

"That's a no, then. See, Forehead, that's your problem. If you want something and he doesn't get it, you just let him know. He's a _guy_, for heaven's sakes. These creatures need to be _told_ what to do in these things."

"Ino. Don't. Ever. Put. Sai. And. Kissing. Together. In. A. Sentence." Even as she said it, an image of Sai puckering up formed in her mind, and she clawed at the air in front of her to get rid of it. She'll never admit it to anyone, but she thought Sai was, in fact, rather attractive – _objectively speaking_, she told herself -- with that flat tummy that tantalized the eyes under that short black shirt of his, and those dexterous long fingers that made her think of --

"Whyever not? He's a total hunk, or haven't you noticed?"

"Oh, come _on_, Ino! It's just a date! Don't make such a big deal out of it!"

"You might as well take advantage of the opportunity! Heaven knows you haven't had a date in ages! Or… have you _ever_ had a date, ne?"

Sakura sputtered at this, but aside from that "date" she had with a distant civilian cousin of Shizune's early last year – the memory of which made her shudder and wish she remained a date virgin – there really hasn't been anyone.

"All I'm saying, Sakura, is that you give the guy a chance. And yes, you've told me what a nasty mouth that guy had the misfortune to be born with, but do you really think he does it on purpose? The man's totally clueless!"

Sakura could only sigh. It was easy for Ino to say these things, seeing as she had never borne the brunt of Sai's insults, but then… the girl had a point. Sai _was_ woefully ignorant in social graces, but it was only the product of severe emotional desensitization in Root, to Sakura's knowledge. If he had learned to feel some kind of emotional attachment towards that "brother" of his a long time ago… then he might not be completely hopeless after all. As for herself, she reluctantly admitted that perhaps she should be used to the guy's unintentional barbs by now.

"Fine, fine, I'll try to be nice to the guy, if it will only get you off my back. I don't know what everyone's problem is – Shishou and Shizune-san have been teasing me all day, and I don't even get some slack from you – "

"Ha! – "

" – so let's just leave it at that for now. Really, you're just jealous I got a date and you still haven't, Pig." Sakura thought it would be a good diversionary tactic to put Ino on the defensive for once.

"Oh, you wish, Forehead. As a matter of fact, a guy has asked me."

"Really?" Sakura snorted disbelievingly. "Who would the _un_lucky guy be?"

"Hmm… alright I'll tell you."

"Yes?" Sakura said a moment later when Ino still hadn't said anything.

"Oh! It's… Kiba, yes… heheheh…"

Sakura thought her friend sounded a bit sheepish. "Really? _Our_ Kiba? That's… weird."

"Yeah, man, we got ourselves weird dates."

"So when are you going to get married?"

"Ha ha, that's just hilarious. Just promise me I'll be godmother to your and Sai's monster children."

"Cute. Maybe I'll let them marry your snout-nosed doggy-smelling mutant children."

Sakura's diversionary tactic worked, at least until she put the phone down after saying goodnight to Ino, with an agreement to go shopping for their outfits the next day.

And then her thoughts turned once again, full force, to Sai.

She still couldn't believe that she asked that guy. It was a mistake, but it wasn't one she could back out from now. She thought that showing everyone she could live through a date with the guy seemed a good enough reason to just do it… so what the heck, she will. She turned her face to look at the mirror, and a thoughtful image stared back at her. Her hand crept up to tug a shoulder-length pink lock of hair.

Did Sai really think she was ugly?

**xxxxxxx**

"One, two, step to the right, and slide back…"

Sai's eyes were already closed, but still the rhythms from their "lesson" earlier bled through his consciousness. He could almost feel his feet moving. He had to admit, dancing wasn't as easy as they made it look, and even for shinobi, the epitome of grace and coordination, it took a considerable effort to master those moves.

It took some time for him to finally drift off to sleep, but before he did, images of a certain female's well-toned calves, with the soft brush of pale pink fabric making them even prettier, danced through his mind alongside his own black-clad legs.

_I wonder if the hag knows how to dance?_

**xxxxxxx**


	5. Chapter 5

**Asymptotic Perfection**

_**by Mileharo Kerran**_

_A/N: After forever... heheheh. For those of you who love the manga... Chapter 437 _delivered_. But... but... I hope... you know. I won't say it here, in case someone doesn't want manga spoilers. But DAMN... I hope you-know-who's ok... If that person isn't, Kishimoto just lost major pretty points with me. Oh well... if the canon doesn't satisfy there's always fics... sigh.  
_

_This one's pretty long... I've had it brewing for a while after all. It would be great for you to read and enjoy, and even greater to receive honest critique from you. Thank you in advance, and thanks for all those who have given reviews in the past. :)  
_

_I don't own Naruto. _

**xxxxxxx**

**Chapter Four: Not A _Date_-Date  
**

Sakura gazed pensively at her reflection in the mirror as dusk swallowed the last of the sunlight. She wondered if her choice of dress didn't clash too much with the color of her hair, but Ino insisted that the smooth jade matched her eyes perfectly, and if there was one person in Konoha that she did trust regarding fashion it was her best girl friend. They had spent hours last Sunday going through the selections in the mall, with the shopkeepers only looking on in wordless awe as Hurricane Ino tore dress after dress off their hangers, leaving behind a trail of colorful destruction as this dress was three quarters of an inch too long, or that one a shade too dark, or another one – and at this Sakura and the shop assistant could only look at each other and shake their heads – made Sakura look "as if someone stuck your ass in a take-out box." Whatever that meant.

She caught herself tugging the skirt down again nervously, but the hemline wouldn't descend any further; the material fell around her thighs perfectly, with the bottom just tickling her above her knees. The pleated straps were just wide enough to go over her shoulders but showed her toned arms to good advantage, and, according to Ino, the best thing about this dress was that it accentuated her collarbones, and made her look "sexy, but definitely not slutty". She had convinced the overexcited blonde that three-and-a-half-inch stilettos were too much for her, and actually demonstrated the fact when Ino insisted she try it on; she managed to take five or six wobbly steps and then fell gracelessly and rather painfully on her face.

She thought she could almost hear the second hand of her bedside clock tick, and with it the much faster heartbeat inside her head. _It's only pre-date jitters,_ she told herself, and tried concentrating on the unfamiliar feel of mascara on her eyes and lipstick on her lips, and the silky cloth against her skin. That was better, at least, than thinking that perhaps she might have gotten dressed a bit too early, or that Sai was taking a long time to arrive.

Sai.

Until now she almost couldn't believe she asked her teammate to be her date. It had become, in her mind, just another thing to do and get over with. It was the Hokage's wish, after all, for this night to be a time to foster closer ties within the village population, so she needn't concentrate on one person alone. A _social_ event. Not necessarily a _date_-date.

But it was _Valentine's Day._

No... not a _date_-date. Sai was _not_ date material. As this thought crossed her mind, another one quickly followed: W_hat was Sai to her this night, then? A substitute...?_

_Not tonight, Sakura!_ _Don't think of... him... not tonight!_

Her thoughts were interrupted when her mother called out from the living room, "Sakura, your date's here! Oh Lordy, but he's so good-looking!"

She fought the embarrassed blush that crept up her face; her mother was not known for her grace in social situations. In a way she was thankful that it was the clueless Sai which the words had been directed to; any other person would have definitely been embarrassed by that gushing comment.

"Coming, Ma."

With a final gentle tug on her pink locks and a fortifying breath she strode out of her room. Strangely enough, the two-inch-heeled sandals she had been so comfortable with at the shoe store now felt like five-inch stilettoes, and Sakura muttered a prayer of gratitude for all the ninja training that at least made her knees stronger than they could have been. When she rounded the hallway turn going into the living room, she opened her mouth to berate Sai about being late, but the sight before her stole all the words right off her tongue.

_Oh Lordy, but he's so good-looking... _

She never took the time to think of how her teammate would possibly look in formalwear; she had been too concerned with thoughts of how awkward the night would be with Sai making his usual comments and her trying to keep her fist away from his teeth. For a split-second the thought crossed her mind that it was probably divine justice that made her see now just how much she _hadn't_ thought of it, because right now all she could think of was how he looked so different from his usual self as he stood in her living room.

He had done something to his hair, and it was now swept off his forehead and kept off it by some product which also made it shine a bit even in the soft light, in perfect contrast to the clean lines of his pale face. His black suit looked expensive, like they were tailored to fit -- had his shoulders always been so broad? There was a smile on his face, and Sakura was too numb to decide if it was one of his usual fake smiles, but then his eyes... his eyes glittered with an unfamiliar light as he stared back at her.

"I guess I can't call you Hag now."

In the dreamlike haze that clouded her mind Sakura took a moment to realize that Sai had just paid her a roundabout compliment. Did he even realize it? She recovered her wits enough to say back, "You don't look so bad yourself."

"Sorry I'm a bit late... I didn't know there would be such a long line at the flowershop tonight. Speaking of which..."

He walked over to her, and she was surprised when he took her hand. Something slid up her wrist, and when she looked down she saw a spray of delicate white flowers arranged artfully in a wrist corsage. His hand didn't immediately let go of hers, and she realized this was the first time they had made physical contact outside of missions. The warmth in his skin sent an answering heat up her face.

"It's very pretty, Sai... thank you."

"Well... so are you, Sakura." At this her eyes flew up to his, but there was only that maddening glitter there.

_What in the world is happening here? Sai is actually paying me compliments... and I'm acting like a lily maid! _

She pulled her hand from his and looked away.

"You two best get going," her mother chirped. "It's almost seven... your dad and I will be along shortly – I still have to slice the sandwiches up." Every family in the village was encouraged to bring something.

"Ahh, Mom... you sure you don't need help with that?"

"Go on, dear, I don't want you to get your dress dirty. We'll see you later!"

Sai gave a polite little bow to the older lady, which brought a charmed smile to her face, and then offered his date an elbow. _Maybe this won't be too much of an ordeal, after all,_ Sakura thought.

As she slid her unadorned hand onto the crook of the proferred elbow there was a small smile on her face.

**xxxxxxx **

_Any moment now... any moment... _

As they walked to the village hall where the ball was to be held, Sakura waited for the usual insult to cross Sai's smiling lips, but to her surprise, none came. The pale shinobi merely talked about the last painting he had finished just yesterday, and about how bright the stars were this time of the year, and Sakura could only nod her head, every once in a while stealing a sideways glance at her date. And everytime she did, it seemed he only looked more and more handsome in the faint light the streetlamps gave off. Sai was being so uncharacteristically polite, and it made her uneasy.

_If this was a real date,_ she thought, _I'd be completely enamored with the guy already. And we haven't even gotten to the ball yet. _

It didn't help, either, that her dress and her shoes made it uncomfortable for her to walk, and she had to clutch Sai's elbow for support as they made their way through the village. The constant contact of his upper arm against hers was making her skin tingle in a way she never experienced before, and Sai was wearing just enough cologne to tickle her nose but not overpower it; she had trouble resisting coming closer to get more of that scent.

_What in the world is happening to me? This is _Sai_, for heaven's sake!_

"It's not pink, after all," Sai said at one point.

"Huh?"

"Your dress. I thought you'd be wearing pink. Pink looks good on you."

"Well... it's my hair, of course."

"Looks much better than that red thing you're always wearing. It clashes, you know."

It wasn't quite the usual insult, she decided. He was just being Sai-the-artist, with his eye for color.

"But then your dress now looks much better in that color. I like it very much."

Another compliment? Was Sai trying to make up for his rudeness in the past?

"Uh... thank you, Sai. Ino helped me pick it out."

Every once in a while they would come across other people who were also on their way to the ball. Whenever it was a couple it was always the same: the girl blushing prettily as she held on to her date, and the guy smiling back just as shyly, but at the same time giving off a smug air as he showed everyone else just how fine his date was. Sakura wondered if she and Sai looked the same way.

They got to the village hall after about fifteen minutes of their leisurely walk through the cool early evening. Before they went in Sai suddenly stopped and stepped in front of her.

"What is it, Sai?"

"Hmm..." His gaze travelled all over her intently, and she felt her cheeks warm up again. Suddenly his fingers slid under the strap on her shoulder.

"Sai!" she shrieked. "What are you doing?!" When she took a step back, her foot caught on a small bump on the sidewalk, and with a sinking feeling she felt herself stumble back, but in the next moment Sai had wrapped an arm around her. As he loomed over her, she thought, _Oh my _God_, this only happens in television!_ His face was so close to hers now, and there was a surprised look in his eyes.

But then Sai straightened up and pulled her with him, and his arm slid away.

"I was just straightening your strap, Hag. It was sliding off." The fake smile was back on his face. He raised a hand close to her face and she instinctively moved her head back, but then his hand just brushed a lock of hair off her forehead and tucked it behind her ear. "There, you're perfect."

Her heart skipped a beat at this... but then she remembered that Sai was an artist, and all he was commenting on was probably just how aesthetically pleasing her get-up was.

Before she could say anything to that, he asked, looking down at his own attire, "How about me? Is my suit on right? I only had it made last week, and got it this morning. I've never had one before, you know."

Sakura ran an appraising eye over him. "Turn around slowly," she said. As he obliged, a word popped into her mind, and it wasn't one she usually used to describe a person; it was more of an Ino-word. But in this moment she knew this Ino-word was perfect.

Sai was... _hot_.

She didn't know what made her do it, but as he had his back to her she brushed her hand against his shoulder. When he turned his head to look at her, she kept a straight face as she said, "lint."

"Hmm... I didn't see that, thanks," was Sai's thoughtful reply.

"Neither did I," muttered Sakura under her breath as she grasped Sai's elbow once again. "Come on, let's see what the fuss is all about."

They strode up the few steps leading into the wide double doors of the hall, Sakura trying to look as if she wore two-inch heels to work everyday. Across the entrance, a large banner was strung announcing that the Konoha Valentine Ball was currently in progress, and a surprising thrill of anticipation made Sakura breathless even more than the short trip up the steps did.

Already the place was filling up with people. Silver and gold streamers hung from the high ceiling and sparkled as the light hit them, and music was pouring out of speakers from each corner of the large, rectangular room, making the the floor and the walls shake a little with the pumping beat. There were already a number of people dancing in the middle of the room, and waiters were weaving through them with trays of drinks and fingerfoods balanced on their hands. It was refreshing to see Konoha shinobi without their forehead protectors and flak jackets, but there were suspicious bulges under a few jackets and hems. Weapon holsters, no doubt.

A grin swept across Sakura's face when she saw Gai-sensei grooving to the music, his trademark green spandex thankfully not in sight, in place of which a silky purple dress shirt stretched dangerously over his undulating torso and arms. His moves were apparently smooth enough to warrant him the attention of two civilian women dancing nearby, whose eyes alternately moved over the energetically-gyrating teacher and to each other slyly. _Way to go, Gai-sensei!_

Apparently, Sai also noticed the hyperactive teacher, and Sakura thought she heard him say, "Maybe we should have asked him to come practice with us… could have taught us a few moves…" But when Sakura looked at him questioningly, he only smiled and tugged her across the edge of the dance floor.

On one side of the great room, circular clothed tables which seated six to ten people each were set up, and Sakura saw more of her acquaintances in a few of them. In the pulsing light she saw someone waving excitedly.

"Hey, it's your... beautiful friend. Shall we sit with them?"

Sakura rolled her eyes at this description, and tugged him along as answer to his question. As she came closer to her destination she saw that aside from Kiba, Shino and Hinata were also at the table with Ino. The pretty blonde patted the seat beside her, and Sakura obligingly slid into it.

"Whew, thank God for chairs," she commented, as her weight left her heeled feet. Sai pulled out the chair on her other side and slid smoothly into it as greetings were exchanged. She looked at her tablemates and noticed that they were all smiling with nervous excitement – aside from Shino, naturally -- as if the tinsel overhead lent some sparkle to their eyes. "Hey, Hinata… so you came together?" At that last part she nodded at Shino.

Hinata's clasped hands, which were resting on the white tablecloth, suddenly sprang apart as her fingers began twiddling nervously. "Shino-kun was kind enough to – "

"Hinata gave me the honor of saying yes when I asked her to go with me tonight," Shino cut in before Hinata could belittle herself further. Kiba's hand crept up the table and stopped the white-eyed girl's nervous little habit. At this Sakura and Ino exchanged glances. It was amazing how the two boys obviously cared for their teammate, and Sakura felt her heart warm at this.

Speaking of teammates, Sai suddenly said with his eyes crinkled up at the corners, "You look _really_ beautiful tonight, Ino… and your silver dress matches your eyes _perfectly_, Hinata." This statement was met by shocked silence, if for different reasons: while soft color flooded the girls' cheeks at the unexpected compliments, there was a sudden tic in Kiba's forehead, and Shino's brows above his dark glasses furrowed. Sakura wondered why she suddenly felt disappointed at this, but reminded herself that Sai was just being Sai… no harm intended.

The moment was broken when a waiter walked by and offered them drinks from a tray. Six mocktails were passed around the table, and as they sipped their drinks, they chatted about small things… recent missions, a story from a magazine, a new ninjutsu Kiba was developing with his older sister…

"Is Naruto not coming tonight?" Sai asked. Another silence met his question, and four sets of eyes automatically swivelled to Hinata, who promptly turned beet-red.

"I – I don't know, Sai," Sakura replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh… just wondering. He got mad at me for having you as my date tonight, Sakura. Said he was planning to ask you himself, but you asked me first, and I said yes." Sai was smiling throughout this delivery, while Hinata's face turned darker. "Are you okay, Hinata? You look a bit warm… do you need another drink?" Sai's arm crept up, as if he was about to signal the waiter for another round of drinks.

"She's okay – " Kiba slapped Hinata on her back to snap her out of her impending faint, while Shino said at the same time, "He _is_ coming tonight." Sakura noticed the emphasis on Shino's words, and looked at the bug-user, sure that his confident statement was due to some convincing he played on Naruto, probably with Kiba as reinforcement. As to the exact nature of this… _convincing_, she could only wonder.

To take the heat off Hinata, Sakura asked, "So… did Shikamaru ever get to ask anyone?"

Ino chuckled at this. "It's a wonder he ever took time off from his cloud-watching, but yeah, he got a date. And guess who it is, eh?"

Sakura only shrugged, but then Sai piped up, "It's that scary jounin from Suna, right? The Kazekage's older sister?"

No one else seemed surprised at this, and it seemed it was news only to Sakura. "That's nice," she said with an amused smile, "that's taking 'fostering fraternity and goodwill' even further than Konoha, huh?"

"Well… Temari-san _is_ the Suna ambassador to Konoha, after all," Hinata volunteered, giggling.

"You should have seen how _diplomatic_ Temari got when she learned what Shikamaru asked her to come here for… apparently he didn't exactly tell her when he wrote," Ino said, still chuckling. "She didn't bring a dress with her, so she dragged Shikamaru around town looking for one just yesterday, _and_ she made him pay for it." Their other tablemates laughed at this.

Ino chugged the last half-inch of her drink and stood up, her hand clasping Kiba's and pulling him out of his own chair. "Time to dance!" she said breezily, shimmying a little, and Sakura could only grin at how the girl managed to maneuver her considerably larger date – whose eyes glazed over a bit as he stared at interesting parts of the blonde's anatomy as they jiggled – so easily. There was a final pleading look in Kiba's eyes directed towards Shino as he was dragged off to the dance floor.

Shino placidly followed suit, pushing his chair back while offering his hand to Hinata. "Do you want to dance, too, Hinata?"

"Ano… Shino-kun… I… uh… I'm not very good at dancing…" Hinata lowered her eyes in embarrassment at this admission. "We never did get to practice, did we, Sakura?" she whispered to the amused rosette.

"Good," replied Shino, taking the shy girl's hand and standing up. "Then I won't disappoint you too much, because neither am I." With that, the two were off, and Sakura barely managed to catch the look of pleasure mixed with surprise in the Hyuuga girl's face.

"So it's just you and me again, Hag." Sakura noticed that Sai didn't use this nickname for her when there were other people around, and didn't know if she should be happy with that fact… if it was some other word she'd be tickled at the thought of having a private nickname. _And_ of course if it was someone other than _Sai_… she shook her head at this wayward thought.

"Yes, let's just table-sit for now… it is kind of nice to just look at everyone else having fun." She managed to give him a sincere smile with that.

"Is that how you like it, Sakura? To just… sit back while others are living their lives and be content with just watching?"

Sakura shot him an annoyed glance, but she forced a grin and simply said, "Now, now, Sai… this is not the time to turn shrink on me. I'm just resting my feet for now… these heels take some getting used to." She lifted and stretched out a leg to emphasize this.

"Your legs look pretty tonight, Sakura. Not quite so masc—"

Before Sai could finish the sentence that would have been the first real, if unintended, insult for the night, Sakura saw from the corner of her eye a flash of orange, and sure enough, when she turned her head she saw Naruto making his way to their table, clad in – what else? – an orange dress shirt in a shade that was not as bright as the usual, which, along with the cut of the garment, accentuated Naruto's fit body and healthy coloring. _Hmm… Hinata would love that_, she thought, smirking. In place of his hitai-ate, a scowl adorned his face, which deepened as he saw the two of them sitting together by themselves.

When he got to their table, a grin cracked over his face, and the sudden transformation baffled Sakura. Naruto dragged one of the empty chairs, and stuck it between Sai and Sakura, who were forced to move apart to make space for the blond.

"Well, well, this is a nice night for a party, eh?" Naruto deliberately kept his head rudely averted from his male teammate, and focused all of his attention at Sakura.

"Yes," said Sai to the back of Naruto's head, "and you look particularly clean tonigh—"

"And what a cute dress you have on, Sakura-chan!" Naruto continued, ignoring Sai completely.

"Thank you—"

"Yes, I told her so myse—"

"Would you care to dance, Sakura-chan?" Already Naruto was on his feet, and pulling Sakura from her chair.

"It's alright, Sakura, I will finish my drink while you dance with Di—Naruto," Sai reassured his date as he lifted his half-full glass to show her. "I have the rest of the night for us, anyway." He said the last bit softly, and his smile was innocent enough, but for the first time that night Naruto looked him full in the face and growled. Sakura tried not to think about what Sai meant with that; she was sure he was only talking about the dance, but automatically her mind conjured up more suggestive images. It was a wonder Naruto was able to drag her away from their table, with her knees suddenly feeling weak from those mental images.

"That bastard," Naruto muttered as they walked to the dance floor.

"Come on, Naruto, you know we're only going as friends," Sakura cajoled, shaking herself out of her stupor. She hated the defensive note which crept into her voice. She knew she did not have to explain herself to her teammate.

As they started to wiggle with the beat, Naruto sighed. "Sorry, Sakura-chan… I guess I just thought I'd be the one you'd ask – or that I'd be the one asking you."

"Naruto… don't worry about it, eh?" It was evidence of the platonic nature of their friendship that they could jiggle with the music – and for Naruto, awkwardly but enthusiastically – without either of them being self-conscious. They had become too familiar with each other through the course of their friendship to be otherwise.

"It's Valentine's Day, after all," the blond continued, "and neither of us really have anyone, right?"

Sakura laughed out loud at this. "Why thank you, Naruto… nice to know I'm someone's fallback choice."

"Awwww, you know what I mean, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, as he pointed his index fingers to the ceiling while wiggling his hips.

"Ahh… let's just have fun tonight, Naruto!" she said breezily, with a big grin on her face.

And the entire time, even without speaking of it, even with the lights and tinsel overhead bathing them in sparkles, they were both conscious of the shadowed void in their hearts caused by the absence of the one person who bound them together in dark mourning.

Still, they both kept on smiling.

After a while, Naruto asked, "Why'd you ask Sai, anyway?"

At this, Sakura sought out their table with her eyes, and when she caught sight of her date in the distance, he lifted his glass to her, still with that little half-smile on his face. Sakura felt her blood creep to her face as she realized that Sai had been watching her all the time.

"Sai… well… you know… he's safe."

"How do you mean, safe?"

"Awww, you know, Naruto."

"No, explain it to the dull boy, please." He took her hand and twirled her once.

"I can't like him like…" Sakura didn't have to say the name.

"Ah, safe like that."

They were both silent for a while. But then Naruto said, "We can't mourn him forever, Sakura."

Sakura almost stumbled. It was surreal how they were talking about… _him_… here, of all places.

After a moment, she said, "It's a process, Naruto."

"I know, but I've thought of it a lot," her teammate said, "and I've come to realize he would want us to be happy, just like we want him to be happy… even if we aren't all happy _together_."

And just like that, Naruto once again proved to be the number one most surprising ninja, with his attacks to both heart and spirit which healed instead of hurt. She pondered that simple statement, and realized it was only the truth.

"Thank you, Naruto," she said softly to her dearest friend, and gave him a quick hug, which was awkward as he was still gyrating with the fast music. To this, Naruto just chuckled, and said shyly, "Awww, shucks, Sakura-chan."

They danced in comfortable silence, and then Naruto broke it again by saying, "You know, if someone other than me were to protect you, Sakura-chan, I would be glad if it was Sai."

She looked at him in surprise.

"I know, I know… I've been behaving like an ass about all this, but… he is the only one who can close to understanding those feelings."

Sakura giggled. "You must be talking about someone else. Sai and feelings don't mate, Naruto."

Naruto suddenly looked wise. "That's the simple way of looking at him. I know he tries. He pesters me a lot with his questions, so I know."

"True… he does ask me a lot, too."

"I think," Naruto said thoughtfully as he shimmied, "I think that if he were capable of it, he'd be… well…"

"Yes?" Sakura prompted.

"Sai would see us as his best friends."

Sakura stared.

"That is the most important thing… he has his bonds to make, too."

Before she could ponder too deeply on what Naruto just said, she saw Shino leading Hinata close to them from the corner of her eye. The moment with her teammate was lost for the present, in light of something more tangibly pressing.

She shared a look with the bug-nin. _Action, finally._ She had trouble keeping an evil smile forming. As the couple reached them, Shino said, greeting Naruto with a nod, "I need a drink, but I don't want to drag Hinata all the way to our table. She's enjoying this dance, aren't you, Hinata?"

The pretty Hyuuga was obviously going into shock upon seeing Naruto, and her date surreptitiously gave her small but fast pats on her back to snap her out of it. Her mouth worked, but no words came out of them, until finally she managed a "N-n-nnn—"

Sakura said brightly, "Doesn't she look real pretty tonight, Naruto?"

To everyone's surprise, Naruto said as though he only just realized it himself, "Yes… she always does, but yes, you're exceptionally pretty tonight, Hinata-chan."

Before anyone could say anything, Shino pushed her into Naruto's arms none-too-smoothly, and said, "Perfect, now let me get my drink… _you look thirsty too, Sakura._"

Sakura thought that was terribly obvious of Shino, but there was no one else to observe except the oblivious Naruto and the almost-hyperventilating Hinata, so she clutched her throat in what she hoped to be a convincing show, and said, "Yeah, I'm parched, whew. Have fun, you two." She lifted her hand to Hinata's arm and gave her a hard pinch, which seemed to save the poor girl from going into a complete faint.

Shino grabbed her own arm, and the two of them quickly walked away. Sakura couldn't help it; she giggled, and as she looked at the normally stoic boy's face, she was surprised to see him smiling a little. The smile carved interesting lines on the bug-nin's face, and Sakura thought that if he only did it more he'd be downright good-looking. "We did it!" she gushed, and if it was anyone other than Shino she would have held up her hand for a high five.

"I just hope Hinata doesn't ruin her chance," said the still-smiling Shino.

"And that Naruto would take a hint," she said, with an amazing feeling of accomplishment filling her chest. "Just how did you get Naruto to come tonight? I thought he didn't want to?"

"Kiba and I had to bribe him with free lunch for a month at Ichiraku's." A frown crossed his face as he thought of how expensive this favor was. "Of course he didn't ask why after that."

Sakura laughed out loud at this, and reassured Shino that she would share the expense. "Anything for a friend, eh?"

"Of course. But…" Shino stopped as they got close to their table from before, "I suppose I'm useless here now, my mission's accomplished. Can you just give my excuses to Hinata?"

"You mean you're leaving now?" Sakura asked, surprised. "You haven't even been here an hour!"

"Yes, well, I'm not much for dancing, anyway," he said ruefully. "Just ask him." He tilted his head to the lone person at the table.

"It's true, Sakura," said her own date, obviously listening in on their conversation. "I saw."

"Enjoy the dance, then," Shino said, nodding to each of them. "And thank you for helping with Hinata."

"She is my friend, too. Thank _you_." She waved to Shino as he left.

"What was that about?" Sai asked as she slid back to her seat next to him. He was swirling the ice cubes from his finished drink.

"Never mind that," she said. "Let's just say Naruto's going to have an interesting time tonight. I just hope he doesn't blow this."

"Whatever that is, he does manage to accomplish some things fantastically sometimes, even with his degree of stupidity," Sai said with a smile. Sakura was feeling too euphoric to take offense on Naruto's behalf this time, and only gave Sai a mock-punch on the arm.

The dark-haired shinobi looked down his arm where Sakura "hit" him, and then looked at her. "You're losing your touch, Hag."

Sakura stuck out her tongue playfully. Even with the loud music blaring all around them, and the huge crowd filling up the hall, there was an air of intimacy as they sat on their own. She realized that Shino was right: she _was_ thirsty, after all. Looking around, she could see no waiters close by, and she surprised herself by taking the glass from Sai's hand and sipping the melted ice from it noisily. Just as abruptly she put it back in her date's hand, and for a moment, the two of them only stared at the lipstick mark she left on _his_ glass. The thought crossed her mind that it was almost as if they shared a kiss, and her heart skipped a beat at this.

She suddenly stood up and said, "Dance. Now."

She walked away from their table without even seeing if Sai followed as she tried to avoid his eyes, but then she felt his warm hand light upon her back as he kept up with her. She was sure her cheeks were the color of her hair, but thankfully the lights did not make that obvious to anyone who could have seen her. Her heartbeat inside her head was almost as loud as the music in the hall, and she started dancing to get her blood pumping to her arms and legs instead of her face.

She kept her eyes trained from Sai, though that was an effort as he was right in front of her. _So close_… She could see that he was not dancing quite as energetically as herself, merely bobbing up and down on his knees, and moving his feet in little side-to-side steps.

"This is nice," he said. "I never thought dancing could be this nice. Never tried it before like this, see."

She wanted to ask him if he had tried it any other way, but her throat was suddenly too dry for words. She told herself that she was just thirsy.

_So close_… He was barely a foot in front of her, and as she danced her hands and knees would accidentally brush against him. Each contact sent a shiver up her spine. This was so different from all that they shared before.

"I see Chouji and Kurenai-sensei," he continued. "He's a really good dancer, did you know?"

She only shook her head, trying to get lost in the music, but she was just too… _aware_.

_So close_… She was trying to keep her distance from him as they danced, but the person behind her kept jostling her closer to her partner, and she could do nothing but breathe in his maddening scent. It was both familiar and strangely new, and the combination was surreal… _surreal_…

_So close_… She did not realize that he was this much taller than her. If she looked straight on, she would be looking at his pale chin, his perpetually-smiling mouth…

She could not help but stare at that smile now, her eyelids suddenly heavy.

And then he said softly, "Your lashes are quite long… I did not realize that before, Sakura."

Her eyes flew to his, and there it was again, that fascinated and fascinating look in those black, black pools.

And that was when she realized something: unlike before, when she was dancing with Naruto, while she danced with Sai now, her thoughts were focused solely on _him_. There was no invisible third.

_No_.

She let out a dismayed little cry.

She almost fled, but suddenly, the music changed, and for the first time that night, a slow song poured from the corner speakers, and Sai took her arms gently and put them on his chest.

"Better… my feet can keep up now," he said.

_So close_.

His hands burned on her waist, never mind that he was holding her lightly as they swayed. She could feel his warm flesh under the layers of his clothing as her hands lay on his chest. He was so… solid.

"You're trembling," he observed.

She let out a self-conscious little laugh, and said, "Yeah. I don't do this often, you know."

"Me neither," was his quiet reply. They danced on in silence, lost in the music, mesmerized by the swaying of their bodies, drowning in each other's scent.

"I like you like this, Hag."

_No… I can't stand this_. But she could not say the words, and her body did not believe it, either.

"Soft."

That single word raised goosebumps on her arms. _This is Sai!_ she reminded herself.

He pulled her closer, and Sakura knew that he did it not do it just because he could, but because it simply felt right at the moment. _Remember what you told Naruto…_ _Sai is safe!_

Who was this stranger before her? All night he did not say one offensive word to her, and even his nickname for her now felt like an endearment. She could not remember a time when he did not bring her on the edge after just five minutes, and they've already been here more than an hour. He was polite, he was gallant…

Her eyes drifted close, her mind losing an inner battle as something else inside her said, _Yes, there is no place in this world you would feel as safe. He is here… He is_ now.

She curled her arms around his neck, finally giving in, and he wrapped his arms around her middle.

_So close… _

And on and on, the music played…

They did not say much after that, but smiles flowed easy, and even his looked sincere. The rest of the night flew by like magic, a whirl of light and sound. A few times she danced fast sets with her other acquaintances, and sometimes he would sit some dances out, but for all the slow ones, she could do nothing but slip back into his arms.

It was wonderful.

Finally the music wound down and it was time to go home. Everyone seemed to be dragging their steps as they trickled out of the hall, a lot of them in pairs. The Hokage's objective was successful, after all; it seemed like everyone was closer, though not exactly in a fraternal light.

It _was_ Valentine's Day, and even the night was cooperating. The sky was clear, and the stars were winking knowingly, and there was a crispness in the air that made masculine arms drape more securely over cool feminine shoulders.

Sai walked Sakura back to her home, and the silence was wonderful as she again had her arm tucked in the crook of his elbow, although their shoulders were plastered closer to each other now than when they were on their way to the ball earlier.

"I had a wonderful time tonight, Sai."

"Me too, actually," he said, all smiles. "But…"

Sakura looked at him questioningly as he suddenly stopped on his tracks. "What is it, Sai?"

"Did I do all right?"

She took time processing the question. "What do you mean, Sai?" She disengaged her arm from his.

"Did I help you have a good time?"

This was an even weirder question, and the look on his face made it even more so.

"Uh… yes, I just said it was wonderful."

"Good, good… do you feel closer to me now, Sakura?" His voice was taking on a clinical tone.

She was no longer smiling in her confusion, but still, she answered, "Yes, but… what's with the questions, Sai?"

"I need to know if the mission was successful, after all."

Sakura gasped. "_Mission?!_ What mission?"

"This was a directive by the Hokage, after all… we are all required to help each other have a good time in an effort to secure community relations, and your answers just now have been very helpful for an evaluation." The smile…

"What?!" Sakura's blood ran cold. "Are you serious?!"

"Of course. Just so you know, you helped me have a good time as well. I am glad we both did our research before this mission."

"Research?" She could do nothing but parrot him now, the warmth that filled her earlier that evening now replaced by icicles in her veins.

"Yes. I read up on the cultural importance of Valentine's Day, and those stories from the library helped, too. Although I have to admit I was not able to prepare as well for the actual dancing… there was simply no time."

"Do you mean to tell me… do you mean to tell me all of that was an act? For a… mission?" Her nails were digging half-moons into her palm now.

"Yes, of course. We are Konoha shinobi after all, and we should take pride in – "

His speech was cut short by the sound of Sakura's palm hitting his face, and like an explosion it echoed through the quiet night.

"Just so you know, you just failed miserably. Go write that in your report." With that, she stalked off.

If she saw the look in his eyes, she would have thought it looked like _hurt_. As she broke into a run, she heard him call out, "Wait! I think I still need to kiss you! The book said – "

"Fuck you, Sai!"

**xxxxxxx**

Her pillow was not quite warm enough, not quite hard enough. But for that night, it was the only thing which brought her comfort as it swallowed her tears.

**xxxxxxx**


	6. Chapter 6

**Asymptotic Perfection**

_**by Mileharo Kerran**_

_A/N: __Happy New Year!!! __Yet again this took forever. :P Thank you for taking your time to read this fic, everyone... I really, really appreciate it. I only aim to entertain, and I hope you are entertained, dear reader. P'tfami: I forgot to insert a Kakashi reference in here again... I'll do it in the next installment, I promise. I have to admit that it simply didn't cross my mind. To everyone, please read, enjoy, and hopefully review. :)  
_

_I don't own Naruto. _

**xxxxxxx**

**Chapter Five: How Exactly Is This Mission Ranked? **

"I will see you, Hokage-sama."

The leader of the greatest shinobi village watched from her desk as the pale-skinned ex-Root left her office after a polite bow. As she pinched the bridge of her nose in an effort to relieve the pressure there, she was quite certain that the headache she was suffering at that moment was not merely an unfortunate side effect of the Valentine celebrations yesterday, particularly in potent lip-smacking liquid form. _This can only get worse,_ she thought, sighing deeply.

Honestly, it was too early in the morning for episodes such as the one which had just passed. She shook her head, at once amused and furious with the person who had just left the circular room, and instantly regretted the action; it felt as though her brain had gotten dislodged inside her cranium and was now floating in there like a huge raisin shrivelled in alcohol.

Only Sai could elicit that reaction from anyone. She really couldn't blame him for what had just passed; offensive though his personality may seem at times, his ignorance of the simplest human interactions gave him an air of innocence. While this could be cute, it also manages to draw forth the deepest pity from even the most cynical of sensibilities. Once again she felt that the decision to put that traitor Danzo in the most isolated corner of Konoha Pen was entirely justified, if only for the trouble his brainwashing was now causing.

She let her gaze light on the plain manila folder lying on her desk. Sai was one of those efficient ninjas who wrote out mission reports with not a single complaint, unlike most of the shinobi his fickle age; he approached not just the mission itself seriously, but took it as part of his duties to put the mission details in written form as soon as the mission was done. She was almost certain that the young man had written this last night as soon as he got home, and would probably have taken it to her right away if it wasn't too late in the night already. She didn't need to read it to know how meticulous he was with details, and how each single character in the text was written with neither blot nor flourish. His oral report told her all she needed to know – and more – about how his "mission" last night went.

The boy actually thought the Valentine Ball was a mission… that really did beat all.

_Poor Sakura_. Not knowing whether to chuckle or to tear her hair out, Tsunade almost decided then and there to give her protégé the rest of the week off, but she knew it really wouldn't help. _Teenagers_. She knew idle time like that would just allow the girl to steep in her hormones _and_ her temper – the likes of which the citizens of Konoha could only compare to her own – and that wouldn't help matters at all.

Opening the folder, she read in his precise handwriting, _"…the objective was seemingly met from a personal observational perspective, and it was in fact confirmed by the mission partner's answers to direct evaluative questioning. However, the partner in question, for some reason, changed her mind at the last minute and reported the mission a failure, and expressly stated…"_

She sighed resignedly.

This incident was not simply frustrating in the obvious sense, but it had more serious implications. Team dynamics, yet again. In the most serious and unrelieved cases of interpersonal conflict within teams, it could even cost lives. But still, it was too much trouble to reshuffle team assignations whenever incidents such as these occurred – thankfully, not very often – especially since readjustment to new team members usually meant pressure, resistance and resentment from the onset. For this reason the Godaime was of the opinion that longtime team members simply had to learn to resolve their issues with each other. That usually worked in the long run, anyhow.

_"… reacted negatively for unknown reasons, and proceeded enact violence upon my person with the palm of her hand, thankfully without the enhancement of chakra and therefore not managing to inflict real physical damage…"_

Frankly, she was surprised that Sakura didn't make a permanent mold of her closed fist with Sai's facial muscles. It was exactly because of this that she wondered just how offended the girl got, as the young kunoichi was known to swing her powerful fist at the slightest provocation. _This must be really serious_.

She put her elbows on her desk and steepled her fingers together, enjoying the early morning silence. Konoha was still pretty much asleep, and even she was surprised that she had the energy to get out of bed that morning herself, but she figured that a morning like this without the usual interruptions was the perfect time to catch up on her paperwork, hangover or not.

For this morning, there was no civil unrest, no rebellions in the outlying smaller villages, no major wars… she was grateful for the brief respite, but then Sai reports in at eight o'clock in the morning for that "mission"…

Visions of the two teen-aged shinobi floated with the remaining alcohol in her head, and she couldn't help but smirk, thinking of how Sakura had more emotions in a single bubblegum strand of hair than Sai could ever dream of absorbing from his "self-study". They were the perfect pair of polar opposites, really, and even a ten-year-old academy student would know that everything in this world, from chakra production to the movement of the summer winds, is urged into being by any kind of potential difference.

A solution, simple and direct, was in order.

"Shizune!" she hollered, and after a few moments her assistant poked her head out of the connecting door between this room and Shizune's smaller office next door.

"What is it, Tsunade-sama?"

"This has gone on long enough… get me a messenger…"

**xxxxxxx **

"Sakura? Are you awake?"

As she floated out of the haze of sleep, Sakura absently thought, _Now I am, thank you very much_.

There was a faint rapping on her bedroom door, and Sakura knew that if she feigned sleep, her mother would only get more persistent, and so with an irritated sigh she called out an affirmative.

"There is a messenger from the Hokage for you," came her mother's voice, faintly muffled by the closed door.

"Uh… I'll be down shortly."

After the stickiness of sleep lifted from her mind, she sat up with a shuddering yawn. She almost dove back into the emotion-dulling comfort of bed and sleep; after all, the Hokage had declared this day to be a half-holiday, cleverly anticipating the population's post-celebration lethargy. So it was not without a small measure of irritation that she now found herself being summoned by her master only a few minutes past eight o'clock in the morning, and she was even more surprised to find out that Tsunade herself was up so early.

Sakura prided herself on being an early riser; she was usually up by the time the sun cleared the horizon, but holidays, even half-day ones, were quite rare in ninja villages, and she was planning to take advantage of the opportunity to sleep in. Glaring at the window on the northeast wall of the room, she took it as a personal insult that the morning sun should shine so damn cheerfully through her pink curtains, as though all was right in the world.

Memories of last night's events flooded her mind.

_Damn that bastard. _

She sincerely regretted that she probably left Sai nothing more than her handprint on his cheek. The jerk deserved far worse. Like teeth knocked down his throat, and a crater where his nose was… it would have been so easy. But as satisfying as those images might be in her current state, she was also aware that no amount of bodily harm could possibly get the point across that retard's skull.

_So close_, she thought, but she'd been fooling herself.

_No,_ she amended. _He'd been fooling me._

There was an annoying warmth behind her eyelids, and as she scrunched her face up – it was the light, of course, that evil morning sunshine – she felt the telltale salty tracks tighten the skin on her face, and she reminded herself that those had been emotional evidence last night of her _anger_, and nothing else.

_It was so wonderful in his arms…_

With sudden energy she jumped out of bed, snapped her sheets into order and changed out of her sleepwear. As she stood in front of the bathroom mirror a few moments later, the sight of her tortured green eyes with purple circles under them brought another bout of that prickled-eyelid and clogged-throat feeling, but she remedied this by splashing water on her face and sucking the minty taste off of her toothbrush. _No more tears today._ She rearranged her facial features to a more expressionless one, worthy of not just gambling tables but of the most bladder-busting interrogation rooms as well, and was satisfied by that small measure of control.

When she reached the living room, she found it empty, but then her mother called out from the kitchen-slash-dining area. Sitting at the table, as though he belonged there every morning at this hour, Naruto's self-proclaimed "rival" was shoving golden omelettes down his throat. He barely glanced at her as he saw her approach.

"Konohamaru," she greeted, smiling wryly, and watched in fascinated disgust as the yellow gunk swirled inside his open mouth. As she took a seat, she asked, "Tsunade-shishou has a mission for me?"

He could only nod, but then her own mother, who sat on his right and across from her, smoothly slid a glass of cool tea close to his plate. The young genin gratefully beamed at the older Haruno, and chugged half of the tall glass's contents without pausing for breath. "Sorry," he said without a hint of remorse. "Haven't had breakfast yet."

"The poor boy was starving," her mother confirmed, tisking sympathetically.

"Thanks, Haruno-san," he said, managing to grin and masticate at the same time. "This is really good grub." This was punctuated by a hearty smacking of lips, which brought an answering smile on the older lady's face.

What little appetite Sakura's gut managed to work up that morning was effectively killed after watching the boy ravage the innocent yellow mound. Seeing that the messenger was too preoccupied with breakfast to be of any use in actually delivering the message details, and knowing that it was probably not all that urgent anyway as the Hokage had not used a more proficient messenger, Sakura decided to just go on ahead and stroll down to the Hokage Tower without Konohamaru. He didn't even look up from his plate as she said goodbye.

Heartlessness was not a rogue shinobi on a killing spree, but an early February morning which went on shining, green and gold and fragrant and beautiful, with not even a single sympathetic grey cloud in the sky. Sakura slept restlessly the night before, and everytime she came half-awake she would remember the feeling of her legs gliding their way through a golden ballroom, smoothly weaving with another pair of legs clad in black. The beautiful morning was a heavy weight on her unrested muscles and her eyelids.

She sludged her way through Konoha, and after long minutes she was knocking on the door to the Hokage's office. From inside she heard her master call out "Come in!" chirpily, to her disgust. As she entered the room she observed that the blonde lady was bright-eyed and alert, and this made her feel worse.

"You look like hell, Sakura."

"Thank you, Shishou. I _feel_ like hell."

"Good," the Hokage said dismissively. "This will cheer you up, then."

"What is it?" Even as she sighed, her curiosity was piqued.

"I'm giving you an easy time this week. You've deserved it, Sakura; you've been working really hard these past few months, and you haven't even taken a single vacation."

"Well… I do like what I'm doing, Tsunade-sama… I like being busy, and contributing to the hospital is a very fulfilling way of doing just that." That was true, but for some reason Sakura felt that she was giving a rehearsed speech.

"Those are admirable sentiments, kid, but everyone needs to take some time off now and then."

_You would think that, Shishou_, Sakura thought sardonically, remembering all the times her master skipped out of work to grab a "refreshment" down the corner pub.

"So what I'm thinking is I'll give you a holiday of sorts – let me finish! – " she held up her hands to stifle her charge's protests " – from your regular hospital duties. You won't need to report in everyday. In fact I absolutely forbid you to set foot in the hospital in that time. If I ever so much as see a single strand of stray pink hair there I'll know you've been visiting, and I'll dock a month of your pay." Her voice took on a scary authority with each word, and she raised her index finger to make her charge think she was dead serious. "Is that understood, Haruno? I can't afford any of my key staff suddenly fainting from complete exhaustion in the middle of an operation, or worse go kookoo after a thousand patient evaluations." She was proud of herself for not letting so much as a twitch cross her lips.

_"Haruno"?!_ Sakura thought. _Since when has she addressed me as such?_ "You can't be serious, Shishou! A month's pay! And when have I ever shown any indication of fainting or uncontrollable crazy behavior?!" Her master only raised one sardonic eyebrow at her, as if daring her to really let her answer that question… especially the latter part.

The chuunin looked around for sympathy, but when she saw Shizune on the far end of the room arranging files on a small shelf the woman seemed to be studiously avoiding her gaze.

"What about Shizune-san, eh? When was the last time _she_ took a break like this?"

She thought she heard the said woman mutter, "Don't remind me…" but Tsunade coughed and answered – rather defensively, she thought – "It's different with Shizune. Her nerves have been tried by time and experience" – _and you, I'm sure, Shishou_ – "and in fact I commend her for it, and I'm sure she's proud of herself for such an accomplishment." From across the room Sakura heard Shizune choke back a bitter laugh.

"But _you_, Sakura…" Tsunade continued, "we all know ninja grow up too soon and that's a tragedy, but if you don't take care you'll turn into a complete hag like me sooner than necessary."

_Hag_… she bristled at the memories associated with that term.

"You're not a hag, Shishou. And don't fish… you know half the male population of Konoha have fantasies of their Hokage… ninety percent of them younger than you." She thought she went too far with that age reference and almost bit her tongue, but the older lady didn't even seem to have heard her at all, absorbed as she was in buttering Sakura up.

The rosette sighed at this point, the wind having been blown out of her sails already. "Alright, Shishou. So you want me to sit on my ass for a week and cloudwatch."

"No, that Nara boy cloudwatches enough for all of Konoha. I didn't say you'd be completely idle, did I? I do, in fact have a mission for you."

"A mission?" At this Sakura became instantly alert. "What mission, Shishou?"

"A little patience, Miss Hotpants. I know you'll like this. It's nothing complicated. I just need you to collect something for me for research. I recently came upon information on a rare herb from a forest about a day south of Konoha. The effects of an infusion of its root, according to reports I've been given, can be most closely described as like those of a love potion."

"A love potion."

"Something akin to that, yes."

"You want me to collect you ingredients for a love potion."

"I do need you to collect it for verification of these claims, yes."

"I didn't know you were interested in someone, Shishou… who's the unlucky dude?"

Tsunade let out a sniff both scornful and somewhat indignant. "Cheek, Sakura. I can appreciate cheek, cheek is cute, but shut up for now and let me finish."

"Sorry, Shishou."

"Right. As I was saying, it's not very far from here, and it's not in dangerous territory, so you won't need to be extra careful. And there's no hurry. What I want you to do, to be exact, is collect samples of that herb… roots, leaves, buds and flowers if possible. And then I want you to test it, tell me how it will be best prepared."

There was an awkward silence as Sakura digested that announcement which lasted a few very long seconds.

"What? Test it? On myself? You want me to subject myself to the effects of an aphrodisiac?"

"I wouldn't exactly call it that. There's no need to worry, Sakura, its effects don't even last a day. And I didn't say you'd be testing them on yourself. That's where your partner for this mission comes in."

"So I'll have a guy lusting after me for a few hours, is all."

"If the claims are true, yes… and no. It's not that potent, from what I've heard. We actually want it more for its calming effects… it will be very good as a sort of first aid. It's a fact that being in love is more than a simple emotion… it's chemicals and hormones in your body producing many interesting effects, one of which is raising pain threshold levels."

_That's only true_, Sakura thought. Very true. She's been through the real thing, and she couldn't deny that the pain she went through with her feelings for Sasuke seemed almost impossible to bear at times, but here she was, alive and breathing and well. Not perfectly well, never perfectly well, but still… well. _And last night_…

No. Forget all that. Sakura made up her mind then and there that this week _will_ make up for the last. She was determined to be completely in focus this time regardless of the nature of the mission. In fact, this mission would hopefully help her objectify her turmoil. Why, it was downright serendipitous!

She straightened her spine and took a fortifying breath. "Alright, Shishou. When should I start? And who's my mission partner?"

**xxxxxxx **

"Are you proud of yourself, Tsunade-sama?"

"Shut up, Shizune. The important thing is she didn't refuse in the end. And that my desk is still intact."

"Your forehead is sweaty, Shishou."

"Yeah, for a second I worried there."

"I think someone's hoping she won't regret her high-handedness."

"Shut up. I need a drink."

"I need a vacation."

**xxxxxxx**

Sai was holding up a book very close to his face when he heard the scrape of the chair from across him. For once he was looking at a medical text and studying the details of musculature illustrated so clearly there, and an odd feeling crept up his chest at being disturbed. _Annoyance_. _Mild_. He was learning, and his… _Delight_ at this realization made him smile. He inched the book down, slowly parting his eyes from the image with… _Regret_, and was met with a… _Terrifying_ scowl.

"Oh, it's you, Hag." At this he felt a sudden and sharp, heavy pain on his foot, and the scowl deepened. "You stepped on my foot. Is that a form of greeting? I don't think I've ever come across that in any of the boo—"

"We've been assigned a mission. Let's go outside and I'll tell you all about it."

"Alright." Sai smiled sweetly at her. Smiling was very important, he knew, and looked far less tiring than the expression on Sakura's face. He decided to stick to it. And then he stepped on her foot in return of her greeting. Just as hard.

Sakura's eyes watered a little as his bigger foot landed heavily on hers. _To hell with the other patrons._ She slammed her palm on the table. "Out. Now." She stormed out of the library, to the shocked and disapproving glances of the other patrons.

As Sakura stomped off Sai couldn't help but be drawn to her stiffly swaying backside. His artist's eyes told him it was neither as graceful as Ino's nor shapely as Hinata's, and for a moment he wallowed in wondering just why it was fascinating, until a man whispered loudly from the next table, "I think you better scoot, boy… your girlfriend looks mad enough to tear your jugular right off."

He paused long enough to smile at the man and tell him she wasn't his girlfriend.

And then he did scoot.

**xxxxxxx**


End file.
